3018, Middle Earth
by aquajogger
Summary: Gundam Wing characters, in LotR time. My cast ranges from Trieze to Hilde, pairings from CBxSolo to 3x12. R&R?
1. June 28, south of the Shire

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR or Gundam Wing. But I did watch that new Gundam Show today! ^_^ Very cute!  
  
Warnings: Er...The story doesn't start here. It starts on the next chapter(which should be up at the same time...). So, since this is just a short little prequel, it HASN'T BEEN BETAED. Ok? This should just give you an idea of how this story will work.  
  
Note: Yes, all main events in this story are completely true, based on the Tolkien universe. The Gundam Wing characters are just taking over the roles of the many nameless people who lived, fought, and died in the Lord of the Rings epic.  
  
As Kat says, proceed.  
  
***  
  
June 28, just south of the Shire  
  
A lone figure stumbles over the flatlands that mark the southern border of Eriador, a little below the Greyflood and Loudwater. His clothes, once pristine white, are now dirty and stained from days of travel. His black hair, matted. A closer look shows him to be bloodstained and although in excellent shape, ready to pass out from exhaustion. His dark eyes glint with fresh hatred. As he turns and looks back towards the Isen, his mouth slowly forms words, then spits them out, as if they are a deadly poison.  
  
"The Dark Lord. Sauron."  
  
Hands clenched, a wound in his arm throbbing with pain, he whirls around and screams out his rage, before collapsing to the ground in a pile of torn finery.  
  
As he slept, a man cloaked in gray rode past, searching for a hidden danger, but finding only fugitives. Fugitives and whispers of fear.  
  
*** 


	2. October 22, Minas Tirith

I am not happy with Hotmail.  
  
Please read and review?*puppy eyes*  
  
***  
  
October 22, Gondor  
  
A young man leaned on a pillar, looking down on the city of Minas Tirith,  
  
where far below on the fourth level, a group of females could be seen  
  
walking, their multicolored skirts waving in the slight breeze. The man-not  
  
much more than a boy, really-took a step forward, craning his neck after  
  
the disappearing figures, leaning out over the white stone wall that was  
  
the only thing preventing him from plummeting five levels to the ground  
  
floor of this fortress.  
  
"Duo."  
  
He jumped at the noise, dropping the apple he was eating, and turned  
  
around, the wind that before had had it's fun playing with shining  
  
material, now blew his chocolate brown hair into a banner behind him.  
  
"Solo, what're you doing here?" Duo sighed and bent down to pick up his  
  
now-dirty apple.  
  
"Don't answer that. Same reason as me, huh?" He grinned cheekily at his  
  
older brother and wiped off the apple on his light brown tunic.  
  
Solo walked over to where Duo had been leaning on the wall.  
  
"If by that you mean guard duty, then yes."  
  
"Right," Duo went back to his position overlooking the town below.  
  
"You do know that guard duty takes place on the third and fourth floors,  
  
Solo? This is the fifth," He glanced at the taller man's face. "Unless you  
  
are planning on making sure that none of the enemy are residing next to  
  
the girl's breasts..." He trailed off, staring at the new batch of women  
  
walking and talking below.  
  
Solo noticed and said with a touch of laughter in his voice, "Don't think I  
  
need to stay here, then. Everything seems to be carefully watched and  
  
under your control."  
  
Duo turned his attention back to his brother. "I suppose that's a  
  
complement from the guy who told me yesterday that I my attention span  
  
was so short that I wouldn't last thirty seconds in battle without losing  
  
my ass."  
  
"Hey, just doing my job as your commanding officer," Solo said, ruffling  
  
the shorter boy's hair, then laughing and smoothing down his black vest  
  
with the emblem of Gondor embroidered on in white and silver.  
  
"Seriously, though, Duo. Some of the girls are starting to complain."  
  
"About me?" He asked, putting on a wide-eyed angelic face. "I haven't  
  
been doing anything! Nothing at all!"  
  
Solo glared at him. "Duo."  
  
"All right!" Duo laughed, "So what if I've been looking? It's not like I'm  
  
declaring my undying love and affection to every one I see," He said,  
  
looking pointedly at the darker haired soldier.  
  
It was Solo's turn to laugh. "I do not! What are you talking about?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, maybe your little flirtations with every person of the  
  
opposite gender?"  
  
"You know that's not true, Duo," He said, struggling to regain a straight  
  
face.  
  
Duo stuck his tongue out at the older boy. "And you tell me not to lie!  
  
Hah!"  
  
"Duo, don't say that."  
  
"What? You gonna tell me off?"  
  
Solo opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and bit  
  
his tongue.  
  
"Just...never mind."  
  
"What? Never mind what?" Duo sat up straight. "What? Tell me!"  
  
Solo looked at him for a second. "Forget it."  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"You're too young."  
  
"What the...I am not!" Duo crossed his arms, uncrossed them, took a bite  
  
of his apple and crossed them again.  
  
"Tell me!" He demanded. "I wanna know!"  
  
"Later," Solo stretched and cracked his back.  
  
"Where you going? And why won't you tell me!?"  
  
"I'm off," Solo said, obviously ignoring his brother's question.  
  
"It's noon, I'm supposed to meet my fellow captains for lunch."  
  
"You mean you're off for a smoke," Duo let his questioning drop, and  
  
scrambled ahead of Solo and crossed his arms stubbornly. "And I won't  
  
let you."  
  
Solo rolled his eyes. "What now, Duo?" He watched as the younger boy  
  
dug in his pants pockets for a moment, before bringing out a deep brown  
  
pipe, shiny with varnish. Duo's eyes glinted, as he waved it in front of the  
  
black haired boy.  
  
"Duo! My best pipe!" He made a snatch for it, but Duo pulled it away,  
  
then quickly ran and held it over the edge of the wall, an evil grin on his  
  
face.  
  
"I'm gonna drop it."  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"Watch me," He waved it in the air with one hand, the other on the hips  
  
of his dark brown pants.  
  
Solo sighed. "Ok. I give. What do you want?"  
  
Duo pretended to think for a second, finger on lips, before breaking into a  
  
smile.  
  
"Ale."  
  
"Duo, you aren't allowed ale."  
  
The braided boy tossed the wooden object into the air, catching it just  
  
before it fell out of reach.  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"Since my attention is so bad, I might just forget what I'm doing..."  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" Solo cried as the pipe was almost lost for the second  
  
time.  
  
Duo tossed and caught the pipe, holding it firmly in his fist. "Do we have a  
  
deal?"  
  
Solo sighed, running his hands through his shoulder-length dark hair.  
  
"Fine. Where do you want me to meet you?"  
  
"Here. Right after sundown. Bring two bottles."  
  
Solo raised an eyebrow. "Two?"  
  
"You'll probably drink one on the way," Duo shrugged. "So bring two, just  
  
in case." He handed back the pipe. "Here."  
  
"Thanks," Solo grinned at him. "The way you weren't letting me go, I  
  
thought you were going to rant about smoking being bad for your health  
  
for a second, there."  
  
This earned him an odd look from Duo. "Smoking...being bad for you?  
  
Where'd you get that, Solo? From one of your books?"  
  
"Never mind," He started walking away, down the steps and towards the  
  
stables where he was scheduled to meet his peers.  
  
"See you here, then?" Duo called after him, "Don't forget!"  
  
Solo raised a hand in reply, disappearing from sight.  
  
Duo looked after him for a beat, then turned back to his current task.  
  
Leaning over the white stone wall, apple in hand, he took a bite of it and  
  
watched as a petite brunet and her friend, a taller girl with lighter brown  
  
hair strolled by.  
  
"Damnit. What is it with the pretty ones and wearing high necked  
  
dresses?" He complained loudly to himself, taking another bite of the  
  
apple and wiping the juice from his chin.  
  
"Makes it impossible to see down their tops."  
  
Leaning further out, he watched the two girls walk and talk, when one of  
  
them reached up and played with the collar of her dress.  
  
***  
  
"Don't look, Hilde, he's at it again," A tall girl with light brown hair  
  
cascading down her shoulders sarcastically whispered to her companion  
  
walking alongside her.  
  
"Again?" Hilde shook her head. "I thought Solo said he was going to talk  
  
to him about that." She grimaced and unconsciously reached up and  
  
adjusted the neck of her gown. "It's so uncomfortable wearing these high  
  
collars during October!"  
  
Catherine nudged her friend. "Speak of the Devil. Solo, I thought we sent  
  
you to talk to him."  
  
Solo stepped out from beneath the archway above the stairs. "I did,  
  
ladies. Trust me."  
  
Hilde looked at Catherine. "Shall we trust him?"  
  
"I don't see any reason why we should," Catherine said, shifting in her  
  
light rose colored skirts, the golden embroidery on them shimmering in  
  
the sunlight. Stepping forward, she stopped in front of him, hands on  
  
hips.  
  
"Well?" She asked, looking him straight in the eyes. "Why should we  
  
trust you?" She tossed her wavy brown hair over one shoulder.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
The clear blue sky above reflected her eyes, calm and poised as the dark  
  
haired boy fell to his knees in front of her, and proceeded to proclaim his  
  
innocence and reliability.  
  
"All right, already. Stop making a fool of yourself. Get up," She  
  
commanded, somehow sounding superior and haughty, while her cheeks  
  
were turning the same color as her dress. She crossed her arms and  
  
turned away.  
  
He obeyed the order with a cheery smile, standing up and bowing deeply.  
  
"Besides, Cathy, trying to stop him looking at girls is the same as trying to  
  
stop a...a rock slide!" He proclaimed, gesturing, attempting to get his  
  
point across.  
  
Seeing that the two young women still wore flatly disbeliving looks on  
  
their faces, he turned away, giving up.  
  
"Well, look, you try it. I'm late for a meeting," This said, he walked away  
  
from both of them, heading towards the stables.  
  
"So," Hilde turned to look at her friend, as Solo dissapeared from their  
  
sight and thoughts. "Any news?"  
  
"Wait, let me think," Cathy paused in her walking, before snapping her  
  
fingers as she rememebered.  
  
"Right. The other day after dinner. Were you there? Remember, it was  
  
when Lord Denethor's son, Boromir, my brother, and another were  
  
preparing to leave."  
  
"I remember."  
  
"Right. So, I heard Leia talking to her daughter, Mariemaia."  
  
"Isn't she your aunt? Leia?" Hilde asked.  
  
"Yes, that's her."  
  
"She's so pretty." Hilde sighed. "I envy her."  
  
"Me too. Anyway, she found out about Mariemaia telling some of the more  
  
stupid stable boys that she was a princess."  
  
Hilde laughed. "What did she do?"  
  
"Well, you see, it wouldn't have been so bad. But then she found out  
  
about her missing hair clip."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The silvery one."  
  
"With the blue stone?"  
  
"Yes, that one."  
  
"All right. So what happened?" Hilde pushed her low hanging bangs out  
  
of her eyes. "How did she find out?"  
  
"She says she went down to the stables on some errand or other, but I  
  
think it was because she likes that older man who works there."  
  
"She does? Which one? Isn't she married?"  
  
"No, her husband died. And I don't know his name. He's tall, pepper hair,  
  
quite handsome, for a man over thirty." Catherine shook her head. "But  
  
I'm getting off topic. So she went down, and guess what she found?"  
  
Hilde ventured a guess. "Her clip?"  
  
"Yes! Hidden beneath a saddle, along with some money that she was  
  
missing and some of her perfume. She was going to blame Duo, of  
  
course, but then her daughter came in, and Leia saw her before she  
  
could get away." Cathy took a breath, and led the way down a small side  
  
street. "Not that I can blame her for thinking that it was Duo at first. I  
  
remember when he was little, when he first became friends with Trowa.  
  
He was so cute!" Both girls stopped to buy a loaf of bread from a nearby  
  
street vendor.  
  
"But now he's always in trouble."  
  
"It's not always his fault." Hilde said, standing up for Duo. "He doesn't do  
  
everything he gets in trouble for."  
  
"But there is a lot more that he gets away with." Catherine pointed out,  
  
then changed the subject. "Anyway, so at first, when Leia found out  
  
about the princess thing, she-"  
  
She was cut short, as a cry of "Shit! Duo!" shattered the air.  
  
A black and silver blur shot past them, and up the stone stairs, brown  
  
leather boots pounding out a tempo in allegro on them, then  
  
disappearing around a bend in the staircase.  
  
Hilde blinked and stared. "What in the world was that about?"  
  
***  
  
"Shit! Duo!"  
  
Duo laughed, braid twisting in the wind. "Wait for it...three...two...one...-"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"Right on cue."  
  
The boy in mention turned around, a feigned look of innocence plastered  
  
on his face, his most popular mask.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Don't give me that crap," Solo snarled. "Where is it?"  
  
"Hmm? What? Where is what?" Duo asked, seemingly enjoying seeing his  
  
brother riled up. "I don't know what you are talking about."  
  
"Look here, Duo Maxwell. We both know that you know very well what I  
  
am talking about!" Solo pushed the smaller boy up against a pillar.  
  
"What did you do with my money?"  
  
"What money?"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"All right, already. Don't need to get all upset," Duo wriggled out of the  
  
older boy's grip and reached inside his pocket, pulling out a worn brown  
  
leather bag.  
  
"Here you go. Don't shit yourself."  
  
Solo snatched the bag back from his brother. "Don't do that!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"All of that!" He gestured with his free hand. "You stealing my things and  
  
then lying about it. How are you going to maintain an honorable place in  
  
Gondor if you do that? Not to mention how it reflects poorly on me."  
  
Solo put the bag safely in his shirt pocket, looking sidelong at the other  
  
boy. "It's not that I mind the stealing. Well, not that much, at least. Or I  
  
wouldn't, if you only stole from me."  
  
Duo glanced nervously at him. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, Duo. Do you have to pretend that you don't know what I'm talking  
  
about?"  
  
"What if I don't?"  
  
Solo ran his hands through his hair. "You've been taking food from the  
  
stores again."  
  
"I'm a growing boy!"  
  
"You did take my pipe."  
  
"So?"  
  
" And the Steward's ink brush and quill was missing last week. And the  
  
reigns from the stable. And what about Cathy's silver necklace? Or-"  
  
"So now everything that happens around here gets blamed on me?" Duo  
  
stood up angrily. "I don't even like the stupid necklace!"  
  
"But if you did, you would have taken it."  
  
"What?! That's not the point!" Duo said, stalking over to the wall and  
  
sitting on it.  
  
"You know it's not!"  
  
"And I also know that if you go around lying and stealing, that will be  
  
exactly the point." Solo said firmly. He sighed and stood up, walking over  
  
to sit next to him.  
  
"Duo, like I said, I don't even really mind the stealing. It makes this  
  
town..." He groped for a word, "Interesting."  
  
Duo looked up at him suspiciously, as though he suspected a trap.  
  
"Interesting...?"  
  
"Yes. Otherwise all that would be reported would be about danger. This  
  
way, with you around, we can complain about something besides Orc  
  
attacks and fighting in the east."  
  
He looked down at Duo. "See? Interesting." He paused, then continued.  
  
"So I don't mind the stealing. Actually, don't tell people this, but I kind of  
  
enjoy it. It's a skill that you should probably put to a better use, but at  
  
the moment, that's all right. It's fine. For now, anyway. But Duo, the part  
  
that I don't like is when you lie about taking things."  
  
"Course I'm gonna lie." Duo looked at his brother. "If I don't, I'm gonna  
  
get in trouble. And who wants that?"  
  
"No one. But it's an occupational hazard, Duo. And even if you don't like it,  
  
tell the truth. Find some way to get around lying."  
  
"What, like telling parts of the truth?"  
  
"It's better than none of it," Solo sighed. "So, just try it? Ok?"  
  
Seeing Duo's hesitation, he continued.  
  
"For me? Please, Duo?"  
  
Duo let out an exasperated sigh. "All right."  
  
He took a bite of his apple. "But I wanna know why you want me to."  
  
Solo smiled. "I've got an idea. You go for," He did a quick count, "A month  
  
without once telling a lie, and I'll tell you why."  
  
"What the...That's a long time!"  
  
"It's a long story." Solo smiled. "Now, I'll see you later. Any and all news  
  
gets passed around during meal times with the soldiers, so if you do  
  
anything, I'll know about it."  
  
He stopped and started talking to himself "Let me see, the meeting starts  
  
exactly at noon, and now it is..." He looked at the sky.  
  
"Oh for the love of...I'm late!" He turned and sprinted back towards the  
  
stables, almost loosing his money purse, then catching it before it hit the  
  
floor.  
  
He avoided running into a vendor's wagon, then catapulted over a young  
  
child, knocking her over, and down a pathway, out of sight.  
  
*** 


	3. October 24, Mirkwood

***  
  
^_^ I just saw the Return of the King again! ^_^ That would be the main reason why I'm posting.  
  
Thanks to Ed for reviewing. Twice. These two chapters are dedicated to you. I was inspired. Thank you.  
  
All hail Ed.  
  
Disclaimer: Same.  
  
Note: I will have all the elvish translations at the end of this chapter.  
  
Yes they are talking weird. That's what happens when you are an elf.  
  
***  
  
October 24, Mirkwood  
  
A blonde elf, long hair pulled back from her face, catapulted over a small child, knocking her  
  
over, and down a pathway, out of sight.  
  
She skidded to a stop, almost hitting a wooden archway, dark green skirts flying.  
  
"Are you all right, Vanwaien?" She cried, doubling back to apologize to the young light-  
  
haired girl.  
  
"I didn't see you there."  
  
"I'm fine," The girl looked up. "Where are you going, Midii?"  
  
"I'm trying to find my brother. Have you seen him?" Midii asked, helping the girl to her feet.  
  
"Quatre? No, sorry," Vanwariel dusted off her skirts, a lighter green than the older elf's.  
  
"Do you want me to help you look for him?"  
  
"No, that's all right," Midii smiled at the other girl. Vanwariel was less than five hundred years  
  
old, in human years, the age of a young schoolgirl, her hair still in two long loose braids,  
  
swinging free down her back.  
  
"If you see him, however, could you tell him I would like to talk to him?" As the girl nodded,  
  
Midii raced out of sight.  
  
Ducking under a low hanging branch, Midii avoided running into a young man, his hair shorter  
  
than normal for elves, and his eyes a light green-blue.  
  
"Midii!"  
  
She stopped in her tracks, spinning around and spotting the speaker.  
  
"Quatre! There you are!"  
  
Quatre looked her over as she walked back towards him, taking in her hair coming out of their  
  
braids, flushed skin and a small tear in her forest green skirt.  
  
"Been running long?" He asked jokingly, as she sat down next to him.  
  
"I thought elves weren't supposed to get tired or dirty."  
  
She glared at him. "Most elves aren't forced to run in a corset, and you know very well that  
  
I'm only half elf, Sir Pureblood."  
  
Quatre sat down next to her. "But it's also true that most elves wearing corsets choose not  
  
to run, and that even though you are halfelven, mother will still scold you for ripping your  
  
dress. But come. Tell me why you were sprinting though Mirkwood as though mûmakil  
  
were on your tail."  
  
Regaining her breath, Midii said, "I was looking for you. Why weren't you in your  
  
chambers?"  
  
"It was a nice day out, and since I was not aware that I would be needed, I headed out for a  
  
walk. Why did you want to see me?"  
  
"Speak to you, would be a better way of putting it." Midii informed him, staring at the  
  
treetops. "I was sleeping, when I had a dream."  
  
"You raced through our realm just to tell me that?"  
  
"It was...unusual," Midii stopped and looked at him. "I had a dream though another's eyes."  
  
She paused. "A mortal's eyes, brother."  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Go on."  
  
Midii took a breath and began to retell her vision.  
  
"I was on a brown horse, riding. There were others with me, many others. A small army, all  
  
armored men, all riding. I was near the front, the commander directly before me. There was  
  
talking, from the riders next to and behind me. I heard with surprising clarity the talk of the  
  
others. They were speaking of war. These were soldiers, brother! From Gondor, by their  
  
speech and uniforms. Seven stars, seven stones and one white tree; the emblem of  
  
Gondor. I saw it on the flag flying overhead, and on some of their uniforms. The boy," Midii  
  
shook her head. "That's not right. The man who's eyes I saw through, did not speak a word.  
  
Even as the others spoke of death and battles, he remained silent. He knew what he was  
  
marching towards, and that he might not return. And he did not fear it."  
  
There was a pause, in which she sighed and turned to her brother.  
  
"So? Do you know anything about it?"  
  
He looked at her. "I've never heard anything about Gondor fighting Morodor. For by the  
  
sound of your dream, that was what was happening. This is dire news, if Gondor is at war,  
  
then war will come here also. I trust your fortunetelling skills, Midii. But I hope you are  
  
wrong." He was silent for a beat, before asking, "Did he say anything? Anything at all?"  
  
"No." She turned and faced him. "Nothing. He didn't say anything."  
  
"Nothing...Did you ask him to talk?"  
  
"Of course I did, Quatre. I was curious. But he didn't say a word. Not even his name."  
  
He grinned. "A no-name, then. A dream of war, with a nameless soldier."  
  
"Yes." She smiled. "But it was not a purely bad dream."  
  
"Oh?" He cocked his head to one side. "From what you told me, it wouldn't seem that way."  
  
She smiled. "You are a man, Quatre. I am female. You missed one important detail that I  
  
told you."  
  
"Really, now. And what, pray tell, is this detail?" He asked, looking ammused.  
  
"You forget that I saw this dream as a woman. It was an army of men, brother." She said,  
  
stressing the important word.  
  
Quatre laughed. "True. I did forget that you saw this dream as a woman. In that case, I  
  
assume it wasn't as bad as you made it out to be?"  
  
"It was bad, Quatre." Their aqua eyes met, as both felt the others emotions shift and  
  
change.  
  
"But not as horrible as it might have been."  
  
Quatre smiled. "I understand." He stood, and helped her to her feet as well. "I am heading  
  
back towards home. Will you join me?"  
  
She shook her head. "No thank you, Quatre. I want to go to the library. I wish to find out  
  
about this country, Gondor. And," She motioned to her skirt, "I need someplace where I can  
  
fix this before mother finds out about it."  
  
Quatre laughed. "All right, Midii. If you need any help, just find me. You are better at running  
  
than stitching; and better at fortelling the future than either of those." He turned, waving, and  
  
began to walk back down the path that he came from, leaving Midii to head towards the  
  
center of their city and the library.  
  
She brushed off her deep green skirts and stared ahead, her destination lay ahead, within  
  
sight, but she did not see it.  
  
"No-name. Úesse." She looked ahead, not seeing, not noticing.  
  
"I asked, but you never spoke your name."  
  
***  
  
-Translations-  
  
Vanwaien: Name, means "Lost maiden"  
  
Midii: Not only the name of a Gundam Wing character, it also can be translated as an  
  
unusual pronunciation of the elvish word for "Jewel".  
  
Quatre: It doesn't seem to be an elvish name, the closest I could get in translating it was "To  
  
lie in the forest", which is a pretty cool name, I guess...  
  
Mûmakil: Oliphaunts  
  
Úesse: No-name  
  
***  
  
Ok, sorry, but it's late, so the next chapter should be out sometime tomorrow, probably  
  
before six(Hawaiian time) at night.  
  
Just for the record, though, I _did_ start it. 


	4. October 24, at the base of Mt Mindolluin

Disclaimer: If I owned either LotR or Gundam Wing(or Dragon Knights, for  
  
that matter), do you think I would be writing about them? No. If I was,  
  
would this fic be pg-13? No. It would not be. Hence, I don't own them.  
  
***  
  
October 24, at the base of Mt. Mindolluin  
  
"I asked, but you never spoke your name."  
  
The younger man looked up, startled, "Trowa, sir." He slowed the pace of  
  
his horse to match the other soldier's.  
  
"Trowa," The soldier took a long look at this new addition to Lord  
  
Faramir's company. Taking in his chestnut brown hair, oddly styled to fall  
  
over one eye, fair complexion and single visible eye glinting green, he  
  
nodded his approval.  
  
"True soldier. Not afraid of a fight. Unlike some of the others you see  
  
around." He scoffed. "But you seem different. I can see why Faramir  
  
chose you to fight under him. Different." He grinned and stuck his hand  
  
out. "Surname's not important, I go by Huan."  
  
Trowa shook the soldier's hand. "As in hound?"  
  
The older man beamed. "Smart as well! That's right, hound. I was the  
  
best fighter around in my day, and I'm still rearing for a brawl. A dogfight,  
  
if you'll excuse the pun."  
  
Trowa allowed a small smile, "Pun excused."  
  
Huan let out a roar of laughter, "Good lad! That's the spirit we need  
  
around here! Look at all these deadbones," He gestured around them, at  
  
the other riders. "No sense of humor! None of them seem to understand  
  
that when riding off to your possible demise, you need to stay light  
  
hearted. No sense in dying of fright before the battle!" He ran his hands  
  
through his light gray hair, "No sense in all!" He turned back towards the  
  
younger soldier. "Trowa! Where are you from in Gondor?"  
  
"The Barton family, sir."  
  
"Barton...Leia Barton?"  
  
"Aunt Leia."  
  
"Ah. Pretty thing. Kind, too. Sweet daughter. Mariemaia her name?"  
  
Trowa looked at him strangely, "Mariemaia? Sweet? I don't belive we are  
  
thinking of the same girl."  
  
Huan laughed at his answer. "Answered like a true cousin. I had a  
  
younger cousin when I was a lad. Horrible girl. Put trout in my woolies."  
  
He made a face of extreme disgust, "Everyone else loved her, however."  
  
He sighed, "Relatives. Awful creatures."  
  
He brightened up considerably at an old memory. "I got back at her,  
  
though. Told her father she had been smoking his best pipeweed." He  
  
smiled from ear to ear. "She screamed so loud you could hear it a mile  
  
away! Those were good times! Good times!"  
  
"You remind me of someone." Trowa remarked, liking the older man's  
  
carefree attitude and jovial manner.  
  
"Really? Who?" He asked curiously. "Someone back home?"  
  
"Yes. Ever hear of Duo Maxwell?"  
  
"Duo..." Huan furrowed his brow in concentration, "No, can't say I have. A  
  
ladylove?"  
  
Trowa bit back a laugh at this thought, "No, a friend of mine. His brother  
  
is one of the Guard of the Citadel, a captain. Solo Maxwell?"  
  
"Ah, Solo! Nice boy. Maxwell is an important family," He remarked, "Old,  
  
high ranking, almost all dead."  
  
He sighed, "I remember when the line was stronger."  
  
Shaking his head, he continued, "But I remind you of Duo, do I? I  
  
remember him now. Right old rascal, he is. A thief, but a good thief. Good  
  
boy."  
  
Trowa grinned at him, deciding that he was right in liking him. "I'll agree  
  
with that."  
  
"You do, do you?" Huan chuckled. "Well, then I suppose I will have to  
  
agree with your comment, then. I remind you of Duo? Well, that's  
  
accurate enough. We both have the same impulsive nature, I suppose."  
  
Trowa opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, Faramir  
  
turned around.  
  
"Huan!"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"Take ten men and head to the southeast, then follow along the Anduin.  
  
Be at the mouth of the River Erul by sunrise tomorrow. Hurry!"  
  
Huan saluted and Faramir sped off to see that the rest of his orders were  
  
being carried out.  
  
Huan gave a lopsided grin, weathered face looking down on Trowa. "Well,  
  
Trowa, if this is goodbye, I hope I will not be forgotten."  
  
Trowa smiled back, "I'll see you on the ride home."  
  
The older man's face brightened, "That's the spirit, lad!" He turned and  
  
drove his horse away, "Goodbye--but not for good!" With a final bark of  
  
laughter, he disappeared in the crowd.  
  
Trowa turned his attention back to the road, inwardly laughing at the  
  
other soldier's antics, but appearing calm and grim as he traveled along.  
  
***  
  
As the company slowly separated according to Faramir's commands, the  
  
few men still traveling with him became more and more restless. Trowa  
  
kicked his horse into a trot, sending him speeding ahead to the near front  
  
of the remaining men. His ears picked up snippets of conversation, all  
  
about the war ahead or the home behind.  
  
"...Never came, that's why we are so few. If King Theoden would send  
  
just a few thousand..."  
  
"...Girl back home. I doubt if I'll ever see her again..."  
  
"...Deadly. Wouldn't wonder if they use poison on them arrows..."  
  
"...Always, I think. The sun shines less and less nowadays, an ill omen it  
  
seems..."  
  
"...My family already, I know you do too..."  
  
He was just about to tune it all out, when suddenly, he heard another  
  
voice.  
  
"Hello? Hello? Who are you? Where are you?" A female. He looked  
  
around, but after neither seeing her, nor the others taking notice of her,  
  
he looked straight ahead, same as before.  
  
Only now, he was concentrating on not falling off his horse in case he had  
  
fallen asleep.  
  
"Are you there? Excuse me, but who are you?"  
  
There it was again. Firmly convinced that it was a dream, Trowa did not  
  
answer.  
  
"Hello? Who are you? Can you understand me?" There was an  
  
exasperated sigh, then, "Can you speak?"  
  
After another short pause, the voice continued. "I'm Midii. Midii Une." She  
  
took a breath, as if to say more, then there was silence. The voice had  
  
vanished.  
  
Trowa shook himself and sat up straight in his saddle.  
  
"What in all of Middle Earth was that?" He murmured to himself, stroking  
  
the horse's neck.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
***  
  
Please Review? Please?  
  
If you loved it...Review!  
  
If you liked it...Review!  
  
If you are really hyper and need to do something before you  
  
explode...Review!  
  
If you hated it...Well, if you hated it, why did you read all of this? 


	5. October 25, Rivendell

Oh, by the way, at the moment I am just trying to get everybody some screen time, after  
  
the story gets rolling I will head back and show everyone again.  
  
Thanks for reading! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: Do I own them? No. Do I wish I owned them? Yes.  
  
Supposedly a line in this short excuse for a chapter was a line from a movie. If it was, I  
  
cannot remember it.  
  
Midii, since you reviewed, this is dedicated to you!  
  
You did...startle...us, though. ^^;;;;;  
  
*** ***  
  
October 25, Rivendell  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"What was what about?" The tall brown haired elf turned, blue velvet tunic shining softly in  
  
the sun, and looked at his companion.  
  
She glared at him in displeasure, "Were you listening to me? Apparently not." She  
  
brushed him off and turned back to face the center of the council, where Gandalf the Gray,  
  
known to all in Rivendell, was introducing a young halfling to the people gathered to discuss  
  
what was to become of the Ring.  
  
Her eyes followed Elrond's every movement, but she was not taking in all that she saw, the  
  
soldier in her not completely awoken.  
  
Trieze watched this struggle in her, amused.  
  
The lady had two faces. Two sides.  
  
He stopped his musings as Elrond spoke, "Here, my friends, is the hobbit, Frodo son of  
  
Drogo. Few have ever come hither through greater peril or on an errand more urgent."  
  
He continued speaking, announcing the names of those summoned, introducing even the  
  
counselors of his own house, among them Trieze and Lady Une, both of a high enough  
  
position to be involved in the council, when many others were left out.  
  
It was an honor, to see the lives of many being decided for them.  
  
The talk continued, various people telling what they knew of the ring and it's maker, the Dark  
  
Lord Sauron. Various people, who knew various parts of the same story.  
  
Trieze listened, deep in thought but paying close attention to every word said.  
  
As he listened, he smiled. He knew already why they had called so many to such an urgent  
  
gathering. They were going to decide which of the many paths the future would take.  
  
To the west and the ocean, to the north and battle, or to the east and destruction.  
  
He looked at the elf standing next to him, the only female in the council. She was watching  
  
with a detached, cold interest.  
  
Not the interest of a lady, but of a soldier.  
  
Trieze smiled, understanding each person's part to play in this deadly game of decisions,  
  
including hers and his own.  
  
"Every word, every thought will affect what happens to this land."  
  
Lady Une looked up, startled. "What was that, Trieze?"  
  
He gave a peaceful smile. "War, my lady. I believe we are on the brink of it."  
  
She stared at him, taken aback at his calm demeanor, then turned and looked back at the  
  
speaking form of Glóin.  
  
Watching her observe the dwarf, he slowly took his attention off the council, and onto her.  
  
Her hair, harshly pulled back from her elegant face was a light shade of brown, her eyes a  
  
stern gray. She was now taking in every word said, her muscles taunt and eyes narrowed  
  
as she calculated every possibility with the experience of a true fighter.  
  
Suddenly, the image flickered and disappeared, leaving a different vision.  
  
This lady, although her hair was indeed pulled back and her eyes the same tone of gray,  
  
was changed. Her eyes, which seemed to shine with their own light, were softer. Her hair  
  
less harsh and more delicately placed and twisted into a complex bun. Her face seemed  
  
calmer, and though it did not grow in beauty, it now held a strange shimmer that was lost to  
  
the tense dignity it previously possessed.  
  
The one thing that remained unchanged was her gown.  
  
The early morning light reflected off the silver lining of it, the garment itself was a deep  
  
crimson, both the color of fresh blood and a rose in bloom.  
  
War and peace.  
  
Lady Une's two sides.  
  
Which side he would see was to be determined by the outcome of this council.  
  
"Lady," He murmured, reaching out and touching her arm, "They have assembled the  
  
actors. Let the play begin."  
  
***  
  
Review? Please? 


	6. October 26, Bree

Wow...all you guys who read are so nice! -^^- Anyway, this is dedicated to Jaid Skywalker! Your review was a very nice thing to see early in the morning!  
  
Also Midii Une(Yes, they can be scary...^_^;) for reviewing twice. I feel honored.  
  
And Lisa. Thanks for reviwing! See you monday!  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Wing or Lord of the Rings, Both Duo and Faramir would disappear from the stories very early on, and somehow show up in my house.  
  
***  
  
October 26, Bree  
  
"Let the play begin." She had been sent by the director, looking for one of the cast. The actor's script was about to be changed.  
  
Dark hair falling in front of her deep blue eyes, she reached forward and took a sip of her bitter drink, her long white sleeve almost catching on a rusted hook, sticking up out of the table. Leaning back against her chair and looking around, she cast a glance around the room.  
  
One person caught her eye.  
  
A tall dark haired male, wearing newly bought clothes, an air of distrust surrounding him. As if in proof of that aura, an unconcealed curved silver sword swung at his waist. It glinted in the inn's light, it's black handle and sharp blade showing signs of many years of use. It was the sword that drew her attention. The cresent shaped blade stood out, and would not be of much use here. He was currently seated at a small wooden table as far away from the drunken noise in the Prancing Pony as possible.  
  
She smiled.  
  
Standing up, she walked over to him, black supple pants silently brushing aganst her glimmering blade, faded leather boots creating almost no noise as she stepped over wooden floorboards and to his isolated table.  
  
He sat in his corner, untouched mug before him, blue-gray tunic soft in the half light of an almost burnt out candle, plain white pants giving him a mock casual appeance. His skin was shining with a soft tan, his eyes focused on the flickering light of a candle flame.  
  
He heard her.  
  
Turning to face her, his hair, unrestrained, swung free, and his right hand reached for the scarred metal handle of his sword.  
  
She laughed softly.  
  
Sitting down opposite from him, she rested her chin on her hands, her dark cloak falling in waves about her, and spoke. "My name is Lucrezia Noin. Pleased to meet you."  
  
He looked at her, not relaxing his grip on his weapon. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked coldly, not concealing his suspicion of this strange woman. In answer to his question, she said, "Tell me. You have heard tell of the woods of Lórien?" He leaned in over the table, eyes narrowing with dislike. "Who are you and why do you wish to know?" She smiled, satisfied that she had gotten his attention. "I know someone there who wishes to meet with you, Chang Wufei." A dagger appeared in his left hand. Again, she laughed. "You would not kill me." A tense silence followed this comment before she spoke again. "I can lead you to Lothlórien." He was silent, weighing his options, saying neither yes or no to her proposal. Noin glanced at him through her dark hair, not bothering to brush it out of from her eyes. "Besides," She added, as if in an after thought, "I knew her." She looked at him meaningfully, watching with a vague amusement as the knife fell from his hand. Noin leaned down and whispered in her husky voice, "That's right," She stressed the next syllable, "Mr. Chang."  
  
***  
  
By the way, I have a fairly low self-esteem. In other words, unless I get at least one review per chapter, the chances of me posting the next chapter are very slim. I need to know that at least one person out there reads what I'm writting. Thank you! 


	7. October 27, on the East Road

Hope everyone has a happy year of the Quatre(04)! ^^  
  
BTW, Wufei...ah...He is...How do I put this...slightly disturbed still by his recent past. In my defense, they never showed him directly after his wife died, so I'm having a bit of fun here...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned here. Nothing. Nada. Zip.  
  
***  
  
October 27, on the East Road  
  
"Mr. Chang." Noin turned her black horse off the paved road, onto a faded dirt path. "Stay close." She glanced back to make sure he was still behind her, then continued on. He looked distastefully down at his own horse, identical to the one in front of him, then kicked it into a trot, catching up with Noin and riding next to her. "You seem to know a lot about me," He caught her eyes, "But you haven't told me anything. Who is your master in Lórien?" She broke eye contact, staring directly ahead. "Why do you wish to know him? I think most people would ask who I am, not who I work for." He snorted, "Who you are? Woman, you can't be of importance, running errands for the man behind the curtain. He's the one with strength. Who is he?" She avoided the question, answering instead, "Call me Noin. I live in the city of Lothlórien, I have been sent to meet you and bring you back." There was a silence, in which Wufei again fell back, to ride behind the taller woman, ignoring her. After riding in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, Noin spoke, "How long were you in Bree? I didn't see you there before yesterday." He guided his mount over a fallen branch. "That's because I wasn't there. I just arrived in Bree that morning." She nodded, "That makes sense. It is a long journey, from the southern coast." He glanced sharply at her, his guard suddenly raised, but did not say anything. The rest of their ride went by in total silence.  
  
***  
  
By the time the sun was going down, the two riders had reached a small clearing in the middle of the wilderness. Dusk was falling as the sun sank behind the trees in a spectacular display of reds and golds. Within a minute of getting their camp set up, it was completely dark, save for the first few stars. "Wufei," Noin called, walking away from her bedroll, "I'm going to get some firewood. Stay here." She disappeared into the forest, blade glittering in the faint starlight, as the young man glared after her, before starting to spread out his own bedroll and mutter to himself.  
  
"...Telling me what to do, like I'm a child. She thinks she has power, hah! That master of hers, he's the strong one. She's just obeying his orders, following along, like she should--" His head snapped to one side and he fell silent for a second before continuing his rant, but this time the words were faster, louder.  
  
"...She carries a sword, like she's a fighter. No possible way in hell. Women don't fight, I was supposed to fight. Like her commander, he should have come, not sending some weak female, going to get--" He turned around, staring towards the trees now in front of him, quickly picking up his place, nearing a yell.  
  
"...Killed, you hear me?! That's what's gonna happen--" His head snapped around again, turning back to face past where Noin had vanished to search for firewood, he continued.  
  
"...And that's what will happen to you! Justice!" His eyes widened, the white showing all the way around the irises, a past memory making itself present.  
  
"I told you, didn't I?! I told you, what did I say?! Did you listen!? Did you ever listen?! There _is_ no justice!"  
  
Smoke...burning...fire...the heat...burning...  
  
"You had to prove yourself, you had to be the best! Better than anyone else! Look what happened!"  
  
Arrows...where did she go? The flames...  
  
"Look at what happened!" He whirled around, not seeing anything around him. "Look at what happened! I told you!"  
  
Has she...no, she wouldn't, not against these odds...even she isn't that arrogant...  
  
"`The women and children are leaving, Meilan!' `Go with them, Meilan! Let the men do the fighting!' No! You wouldn't even let me do that!"  
  
The smoke...so hot...burning...the smell of ash is in the air...  
  
"I told you!" Grinding out the words, they fall upon still air, "There is no justice. Do you hear me!? No justice! The weak fight and the strong die!"  
  
Fighting...swords...flaming arrows falling from the heavens...  
  
"You should have listened to me! I was going to get you to safety! You had to go back! You had to disobey me that one last time! Forcing me to lose to you, just once more! Idiot!"  
  
The figure standing in front of me, black hair around her shoulders, sword in her hand, soot coating her face...  
  
"You! I could have saved you, but you had to prove me wrong! Always wrong! Is this your right?! It isn't! It's the same! Nothing has changed!"  
  
She takes a fighting stance, broad curved sword clasped in both her hands...  
  
"You thought you could change the world all on your own! You thought you were invincible! That by fighting, the world would be different! Well, I ask you: Has it changed?! Is anything different!?"  
  
...And falls...Falling, falling...always out of reach...she hits the ground, her body disappears...  
  
"Did the world change?! Did it?!"  
  
The flames rise...higher and higher...consuming everything...the heat becomes unbearable--  
  
"Nata--!" Wufei looked around. He was sitting up, it was late at night, the stars brightly visible overhead. A warm fire was crackling next to him, his right side uncomfortably hot with it's presence. He lay back down on his back, shifting, so as to move further away from the fire. "That's it. It was a dream." Closing his eyes, he lay awake for several minutes before finally drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
***  
  
Noin smiled, her dark hair covering half her face, as she slowly turned over on her side to face away from the young warrior. Zechs was right. He really was strong. With a past like that, he would have to be, or be dead.  
  
She had left to collect firewood, and upon returning, found him asleep. She sat up, first making the fire, then simply watching him, as he muttered phrases in his sleep, arguing with himself.  
  
With her.  
  
He had tossed, rolling closer to the fire, and though he lashed out in his slumber, his eyes darting behind their lids, and sweat breaking out over his body, he remained asleep, letting the unpleasant memories wash over him.  
  
He was strong.  
  
And Zechs was right.  
  
He would be perfect. 


	8. October 28, Minas Tirith

***  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Gundam Wing or Lord of the Rings. Want to give them to  
  
me?  
  
I want to live in Gondor.  
  
Warning: This chapter has very little point to it, it was mainly to give what I wanted to  
  
happen a little push in the right direction.  
  
***  
  
October 28, Minas Tirith  
  
He would be perfect.  
  
That's all Catherine knew.  
  
The man she would fall in love with would be perfect.  
  
She and Hilde had been talking about love and what to look for in a man. Hilde was still  
  
going on about it; the words "tall, dark and handsome" were being used.  
  
Cathy smiled, looking off over the heads of a few small children playing a game of catch  
  
nearby, and towards the high white wall, surrounding all of the city levels.  
  
Tall, dark and handsome didn't even begin to cover it, since that alone described over half  
  
of the male population in Gondor.  
  
Besides, she already knew someone who fit her own description, and...  
  
"Hey Cathy, Hil'."  
  
He was perfect.  
  
She shook her head, stopping her train of thought, as Solo sauntered up to the two girls,  
  
causing Hilde to break off her sentence and respond, quickly asking something about either  
  
apricots or goats; Cathy wasn't paying much attention.  
  
Solo nodded an affirmative and turned to face Catherine.  
  
"Trowa came back?"  
  
Cathy snapped back to her surroundings.  
  
"Ah, right! Yes, he came back yesterday, why?"  
  
Solo shrugged, "No reason. Just wondering. It was his first real battle, right? I wanted to  
  
know about it."  
  
She glanced at his uniform, "That's right, you are in the Guard. I keep forgetting," she  
  
admitted.  
  
He laughed, "Hard not to. I never go anywhere, unlike most of the others. I'm just lucky, I  
  
guess."  
  
Hilde raised an eyebrow, "Just a poor fighter, you mean."  
  
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," He grinned and changed the subject.  
  
"So what were you talking about before I came?" Solo smirked, "From what I caught, it  
  
sounded interesting."  
  
Both girls jerked towards him.  
  
"What?!"  
  
He smiled mischievously at them, "Hey, I didn't hear much. Besides, if it's that secret, I won't  
  
tell. So what did you do? Did you kill someone?"  
  
Catherine glared at him.  
  
"What did you hear?"  
  
"Like I said, not much. Although I do believe the words 'a strong and delicious body' were  
  
mentioned several times..." He grinned at, then was kicked in the shins by a shorter girl.  
  
"Solo!" Hilde placed her hands on her hips, then began to laugh.  
  
"Why were you listening in on us, anyway?!"  
  
"Damnit, Hilde..." He rubbed his legs, glaring at her black shoes.  
  
"You guys were talking so loud. If you wanna talk privately, do it somewhere private!"  
  
Cathy relaxed.  
  
Good.  
  
He hadn't heard her remark about being perfect.  
  
Normally, she wouldn't mind someone hearing that, but Solo was Solo, an expert in finding  
  
things out, especially things that others didn't necessarily want him to know about...  
  
Telling him would not be the smartest thing to do.  
  
He looked at her.  
  
"Talking about boys?"  
  
Her eyes widened.  
  
Solo laughed at her reaction, "I see. "  
  
He ran a hand through his dark wavy hair.  
  
"I would stay around to find it out, but I'm late. Again."  
  
He grinned at Hilde.  
  
"Actually, the reason I never go anywhere is 'cause it's punishment for being constantly  
  
tardy. Personally, I find it to be a reward," He shrugged, "I guess most people would rather  
  
fight then stay back and be placed on extra guard duty."  
  
He sighed and turned to leave.  
  
"I'll see you both later, judging by the time, I'm going to be placed under house arrest for a  
  
week."  
  
He turned around and quickly ran off in the direction of the main stairs.  
  
***  
  
"So," Hilde's hand brushed against her dark blue dress.  
  
"You were saying?"  
  
"What?" Catherine faced her shorter friend, "About what?"  
  
Hilde grinned at her, "Perfect. I want to know what you mean by that."  
  
Cathy was saved from answering by a light brown head popping up from a large, low  
  
hanging stone ledge directly behind Hilde. It was followed by a black shirt and a pair of  
  
brown pants, which curled into a seated position.  
  
"Hello, ladies."  
  
Cathy stopped and blinked, "Duo? What are you doing there?"  
  
"Huh?" Duo looked at the ground, ten feet below. "Wow, didn't know it was this high."  
  
Hilde turned around, staring at him.  
  
"How did you get there?"  
  
"Climbed, of course." Duo brushed his sleeves off, "Dusty."  
  
"Need we ask why?"  
  
"Oh," Duo rubbed the back of his head with one hand, "Well, actually, I'm hiding from  
  
Trowa."  
  
"What?" Catherine took a step forward, "What did you do?"  
  
"Hey!" Duo waved his hands in front of him, noticing the angry glint in the older girl's eyes.  
  
"Wasn't me!" He paused, then, hands clenched, forced himself to change that last sentence.  
  
"No," A deep breath, "It was me. Kinda."  
  
Another pause, then, "Ok, all me," Noticing the confused looks on the two girls' faces, he  
  
glared at them, before continuing.  
  
"But it's not like he didn't _compleatly_ not deserve it!"  
  
There was a long silence, before he sighed in defeat.  
  
"Ok, already. Bad Duo. All my fault."  
  
He melodramatically closed his eyes and thrust his right wrist out.  
  
"Cut me."  
  
Cathy and Hilde sweatdropped.  
  
Duo grinned, opening his eyes and drawing his arm back.  
  
"So what _were_ you talking about, Cathy? Perfect?"  
  
He dropped off the ledge, and onto a sitting position on the ground.  
  
"Ow," He glared at the ground, then looked up at Catherine.  
  
"Anything you can tell me? Promise I won't tell!" He made an X over his heart.  
  
His eyes widened.  
  
"Please?"  
  
Hilde looked at him, head cocked to one side.  
  
"Did anyone ever tell you how immature you act?"  
  
"I'll take that as a complement," He laughed, stretching and cracking the vertebrae in his  
  
back.  
  
"So, anything?"  
  
Cathy sighed, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Anything we tell you, you're gonna repeat to the whole city!"  
  
The boy sat up straight, arms crossed, "Hey, now! I said I wouldn't tell!"  
  
"And that has made a difference since when?"  
  
"Since I made a bargain with Solo." Duo grinned at the two girls.  
  
"He's gonna tell me something good. The catch is no lying for a month," He crossed his  
  
arms behind his head.  
  
"Should be easy enough. A challenge."  
  
He looked up to see the same two girls staring at him.  
  
"...What?"  
  
"Duo Maxwell. Being honorable for a month?" Hilde shook her head. "No way."  
  
Catherine tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Impossible."  
  
Duo climbed to his feet.  
  
"Watch it, even I have pride." His eyes narrowed and the corner of his mouth turned up.  
  
"Feel like making a deal with the most unreliable person in Gondor?" He paused, then  
  
continued.  
  
"I add on an extra month to my bargain with Solo, and you both tell me something."  
  
Cathy looked at him suspiciously, "What sort of thing?"  
  
"I'll ask. You answer truthfully. Fair enough?" He held his hand out.  
  
Hilde took it.  
  
"We'll tell you when your time is up."  
  
"Fine with me," He turned to Trowa's sister, "Cathy? A deal?"  
  
She shook the boy's hand reluctantly. "Fine. A deal."  
  
Duo gave it a shake, then pulled back, grinning evilly.  
  
"Will you ever regret that. Remember something. Never, ever, cut a deal with Death."  
  
Laughing, he turned, waving, and walked away.  
  
Hilde stared after him.  
  
"What was all that about Death?" She turned to Catherine, who shrugged, confused.  
  
"No idea."  
  
***  
  
*punches fist into the air* LACROSSE RULES! ^_^  
  
...but the balls hurt a LOT.  
  
Ow.*rubs eye*  
  
Review? 


	9. October 29, South Gondor

Eep, so sorry about the lack of updates. This chapter has been written for  
  
almost a week now, but I needed something to go along with it because  
  
it was almost as long as the authors note at the beginning. -_-; So I was  
  
working on the next one, I got distracted by Quizzilla(almost finished with  
  
my quiz! Yay!), finishing watching Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, RPing  
  
and just a load of crap. Really sorry. In my defense, all of this other stuff  
  
has given me a brillient idea(thanks, Kat) that I will use in here...much  
  
later. ^^;  
  
Sorry for the delay.  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own either of the series I am playing with here.  
  
Ed: *eyes get really big* ..................................................... ^_^  
  
You reviewed every chapter. Every chapter.  
  
Like Lisa. But I think she does that because she's my friend and nice...  
  
Anyway, the movie? I liked it. Faramir was hott and Pippin sang. ^^  
  
I agree, Denethor was a prick.  
  
A softball? No, can't say I have. Neither with a hocky stick. Never used a  
  
hockey stick, actually.  
  
I'm fine, thanks, the lacross incident actually got me out of English(a plus,  
  
but I would have rather it had been science or math).  
  
It was pretty funny, truthfully, because we were doing lacross just for  
  
one day, and the night before I had been reading this ff.net story about  
  
lacross...  
  
Lisa: ^_^ Thanks for the review! As I said above, you review  
  
EVERYTHING! On Kat's stories also!*hugs*  
  
***  
  
October 29, South Gondor  
  
"No idea."  
  
A figure slowly trudged up the Harad Road, dark brown windswept hair  
  
blending in against his coat of a similar color.  
  
He carried a satchel of provisions over one shoulder: Elvish waybread,  
  
dried fruit and meat, a pouch of fresh river water.  
  
His lean body moved with the well toned efficiency of a warrior, deep blue  
  
eyes taking in all that moved.  
  
His clothing was dark, shades of brown and gray, patched and worn from  
  
many years of hard use. Long dark pants, dust covered and faded were  
  
worn with a thin shirt, tucked in and sleeveless.  
  
Under a thick patched cloak, a nessessity in this day and age, there  
  
swung a long black scabbard, inclosed within there lay a sword; silver  
  
blade tainted with blood.  
  
There were no other visable weapons, but if you looked closely, there  
  
were concealed daggers and throwing knives, hidden under a layer of  
  
clothes; up a sleeve, in a pocket, in the cuff of his pants.  
  
No humans lived in this desert land in which he traveled. That suited him,  
  
he wasn't comfortable being seen. It wasn't that he was up to no good,  
  
but that he simply didn't enjoy being around others.  
  
It was nice to be alone.  
  
His mouth formed again the words that had left it only seconds earlier.  
  
No idea.  
  
That was true. He didn't have any idea.  
  
He was traveling northwest, with no idea why.  
  
Well, that wasn't completely true. He did have an idea.  
  
A foolish idea.  
  
He was Heero Yuy. One of the last of the Dúnedain, this automatically  
  
making him a man of war. He was well trained, intelligent, not one to fall  
  
for foolish tricks or silly imaginings.  
  
And yet, here he was. Traveling hundred of miles, chasing after a vague  
  
dream.  
  
Not a dream, an idea.  
  
***  
  
*looks up* Damn, that's short. O_o;;  
  
Reviews feed an authors mind and make then write longer chapters! ^^ 


	10. October 29, Lóthlorien

As before, thanks for this chapter will go to Lisa and Ed for making me  
  
feel loved and important.  
  
Disclaimer: Yes, I own Gundam Wing and Lord of the Rings. I am insanely  
  
rich, live in a huge underground mansion on a private island and have a  
  
golden toilet.  
  
***  
  
October 29, Lóthlorien  
  
"Not a dream, an idea,"  
  
A tall elf, her blonde hair loosely hanging down far below her waist, shook  
  
her head.  
  
She was trying to explain her thoughts to her elder, who, although he  
  
looked as though he could be her brother, was completely unrelated to  
  
her.  
  
She turned in a slow circle, her long black skirts waving out behind her,  
  
the tight, dark top standing out against her fair skin.  
  
"You don't understand, do you?" She smiled, looking up at her taller  
  
companion.  
  
"The orcs are on the move," As she spoke, a smile graced her lips.  
  
"Marching out. An unstoppable force, leaving the dark lands of Mordor  
  
and coming to the west."  
  
Her icy gray eyes shone. "We are in the west."  
  
She paused and looked the other in the eyes.  
  
"You understand," Her face lit up.  
  
"I admire you. So I know you must understand me when I tell you this."  
  
In the pause as she took a breath, a lower, annoyed voice rent the air,  
  
as it's owner glared down on the elven girl.  
  
"You never answered my question, Dorothy. I didn't want to know about  
  
your strange attraction to war. I wanted to know when you had this  
  
dream about Mordor on the march."  
  
"And you never listened to my response," The girl curled down on a  
  
bench, looking for all the world like a cat, as she raised one hand slowly,  
  
the long nails tossing dust specs to and fro.  
  
"I said," she spoke patiently, as if to a young child, "That it wasn't a  
  
dream. It was an idea."  
  
"An idea."  
  
"Yes," Her face lit up, "But not one based on wishful thinking."  
  
She lifted her pointer finger, "I heard the others talking, Zechs. I have  
  
read our stores of scrolls and listened to the councils that take place. It  
  
was based on knowledge. But who could blame me if it was based on  
  
wishful thinking?" She lowered her hand and gracefully shrugged.  
  
"War is wonderful. We are at our best when we fight."  
  
The tall elf still standing next to her spoke, "Dorothy, you are not called  
  
upon to fight. Let whether battle is a good or bad thing be decided by the  
  
people who's lives are risked."  
  
Dorothy brushed her hand across one cheek.  
  
"It may be so that I am not called upon to fight, but that doesn't mean my  
  
life is not risked. It simply means my life would lie on the shoulders of  
  
others, dependent on their every move. The ultimate trust. The ultimate  
  
trust, for I give you," She stood up, "Zechs Marquise, my life."  
  
Reaching forward and clasping her hands around his, she stared up at  
  
him.  
  
"The ultimate trust," She smiled softly and turned away, glancing back,  
  
and saying, "I hope you will be at your very best."  
  
Then, with a swish of black material, she was down the path and out of  
  
sight.  
  
Zechs sighed. That girl always was one of a kind.  
  
His own white robes made no sound as he made his way down a side  
  
path in the forest city, heading for his own chambers.  
  
Where others wore white, she wore black.  
  
Where others were silent, she spoke.  
  
Where other hoped for peace, she dreamt of war.  
  
One of a kind.  
  
That was probably a good thing, he reasoned with himself.  
  
If all were like her, well, he for one would not want to live in this world.  
  
But then again, if none were like her, would the world be so much better?  
  
All she seemed to do was portray fighting in a better light, not start a  
  
war, unlike so many others in this day and age.  
  
Reaching his rooms, he entered and sat down on a silvery chair behind a  
  
large white desk, covered in all manner of writings.  
  
He should probably start hiding his letters, since it seemed that was  
  
where Dorothy was getting much of her information of the outside world.  
  
Zechs had a companion, a good source of information, currently working  
  
under him, carrying out his orders.  
  
Mail from her was usually accurate.  
  
He didn't want to isolate Dorothy from the lands around the city, but he  
  
also didn't want to have her cause more trouble than she already was  
  
capable of starting.  
  
Unlocking and opening a drawer, he continued his musings, carefully  
  
storing away a great array of papers written on varying dates and  
  
locations.  
  
3009, 3010, 3014. Then, more recently: June fifth, August sixteenth,  
  
October twenty-sixth. Rivendell, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul, The Prancing  
  
Pony.  
  
All signed by the same person.  
  
Lucrezia Noin.  
  
Zechs folded the last letter into place and locked the drawer, placing the  
  
key in a small wooden box, carved with a simple design, on a high shelf.  
  
Looking at his now clear desk, he picked up a piece of parchment off it's  
  
neat stack, pulled a white quill out of the ink well, and sat down on the  
  
chair, proceeding to dip the feather into the black substance and draw it's  
  
tip across the stiff paper. Smooth dark letters danced across the surface,  
  
relaying a private message.  
  
As the silent sound of his writing died down, a great white bird flew into  
  
the room, landing on the back of his chair. It's wings softly covered in pale  
  
feathers, a red crest spiraling out in a delicate plume on it's silvery head.  
  
Metallic claws gripped it's makeshift wooden perch, talons an inch long  
  
cutting into the leather backing. A hooked beak opened and reached  
  
forward, nipping at the back of Zechs' neck.  
  
He waved a gloved hand at it, it's large black pupils, ringed with gold  
  
widening. It made an annoyed click of it's tongue, reaching out again and  
  
sharply pecking his head.  
  
It avoided the swipe at it's head, taking off and landing on the desk,  
  
nearly knocking over an ink well and brushing off a couple pieces of  
  
paper.  
  
Zechs sighed, and finishing the letter, he signed his name with a quick  
  
flourish, then turned to the snowy bird of prey.  
  
He smiled.  
  
Rolling up and attaching the letter to the creature's ankle with in a deft  
  
maneuver, he tied it on with a pale yellow ribbon and spoke.  
  
"Search on the East Road for Lucrezia Noin. Hurry, Tallgeese!"  
  
He released his grip on the bird's luggage and watched as it spread it's  
  
great wings and sped away, flying out of the room, over the trees and to  
  
the west, towards the East Road, Zechs watching it fly away.  
  
***  
  
As soon as it was out of sight, it swooped down in a great arc towards  
  
the ground, spiraled once, and flew back up into the sky, heading  
  
towards the south.  
  
Make a wish!  
  
*  
  
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***  
  
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***  
  
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* ** ***  
  
**  
  
*  
  
Now send the author reviews!  
  
If the author receives 1 review, she will update!  
  
If she receives 2 reviews, she will update sooner!  
  
If she receives 3 reviews, she will update within a day!  
  
If she receives 100 reviews, she will french her math teacher and streak  
  
across the school grounds!(And your wish will come true! ^_~) 


	11. October 30, Edoras

I know I said I'd have it up within a day, but I was having internet  
  
problems, so it got posted a day late. Sorry?  
  
Disclaimer: The voices in my head tell me I own Gundam Wing and Lord of  
  
the Rings. I don't know how I own them, since I don't even own my own  
  
computer. But Merry never lies. I must own them both.  
  
Like the last however many chapters, this is dedicated to Ed and Lisa(and  
  
no, my math teacher is not insanely gorgeous. But math teachers seem to  
  
be the best looking. Compare them to the english teachers and you'll  
  
know what I mean.)  
  
It is also dedicated to Kat, faithful beta girl, Rper, source of warmth, and  
  
now reviewer! ^^ Thanks, Kat!  
  
***  
  
October 30, Edoras  
  
It flew up into the sky, heading towards the south. As the large gray bird  
  
sped away for the second time that month, the young woman standing  
  
below, leather glove on one hand, ink quill in the other, sighed. It had  
  
been almost five months since she had last heard from her friend living on  
  
the southern coast.  
  
She turned around, and followed the dirt path, winding over small grassy  
  
hills and mounds covered in small white flowers, towards the large city of  
  
Edoras.  
  
She wore a long dress, the skirts a shade of olive green, the bottom  
  
bordered with a green of a deeper tone. The bodice was a light cream  
  
color, her hair fell in two braids down her shoulders.  
  
Casting a last glance over her shoulder, she walked in through the  
  
wooden gates and into the city.  
  
Passing several small houses, she scanned the crowds of people,  
  
hundreds of blonde heads washing by under her gaze.  
  
As she walked further into the town, the crowds thinned, the clothing  
  
becoming richer and the people better fed and groomed.  
  
Sally sighed.  
  
She didn't like having to come all the way in here, it always made her feel  
  
guilty. However, this was where she would find Relena.  
  
She exhaled again, the guilt trip starting as she passed a wealthily  
  
dressed woman and was reminded of her own clothing. Sure, they were  
  
not as rich or fancy, but they were too similar for her liking. Climbing up a  
  
flight of stone stairs, she reached the gates of the castle.  
  
As she walked around to a smaller side exit, she caught sight of three  
  
chattering young girls whom she vaguely recognized as a few of Relena's  
  
friends.  
  
The first one, a tall girl in a lavender dress, flipped her brown hair over  
  
her shoulder and continued talking to her friend. The friend in mention  
  
was a shorter girl in a orange dress with blonde hair, tightly pulled back.  
  
She was currently clapping her hands in delight of what the first one had  
  
just announced. The third girl had black hair, causing her to stand out  
  
among the light haired people of Rohan, and a light pink dress. The last  
  
one caught sight of Sally and waved her over.  
  
Sally let out an inward sigh of exasperation.  
  
The girls were nice enough, but they were all so immature.  
  
Forcing herself to smile, she walked over and quickly asked the third one  
  
where Relena was, trying not to wince at the girlish shrieks of laughter  
  
coming from her left.  
  
"Miss Relena? I'm not sure."  
  
Sally had to admit that she liked this one the most. She wasn't  
  
as...bubbly as the other two.  
  
"I think she went towards the stables."  
  
She thanked her and quickly left, leaving the sounds of giggles and fast-  
  
spoken gossip behind her.  
  
"Lord," She muttered to herself, "Relena needs some new friends."  
  
True, these school age girls were more of a fan club than friends, but they  
  
still followed Relena around, and she did speak with them.  
  
Not that the young Relena was much better, Sally thought grudgingly.  
  
She still had the same effervescence about her, and a slight lacking of  
  
effort when it came to doing what was expected of her.  
  
Still, Sally amended, she had a lot of potential. That, and another, more  
  
personal reason, was why Lucrezia Noin had always taken part in her  
  
personal safety.  
  
And now, with Noin traveling in the west, it was her job to make sure that  
  
the young daughter of one of many high ranking officials stayed alive and  
  
well.  
  
And in order to fulfill that promise to Noin, she had to regularly check up  
  
on the girl. Spending time with her wasn't in itself so bad. It was mainly  
  
the fan club popping up everywhere. That, and Relena's childish view on  
  
the world made her job a living...  
  
"Oh, hello, Relena," Sally said, snapping out of her thoughts and greeting  
  
the young girl in front of her. She was wearing a long sleeved dress, a  
  
pattern in gold woven into the pink top, the skirt a pale yellow with light  
  
rose colored embroidery.  
  
"Hello, Sally."  
  
Relena smiled, two braids bouncing in her loose hair as she nodded her  
  
head.  
  
Sally twitched a corner of her mouth upwards. It was obvious that the  
  
younger girl was hiding from her fan club. She was sitting on top of an  
  
overturned box, normally used for storing hourse blankets, behind a tall  
  
wooden wall, drawing pictures in the dust surrounding her with the tip of  
  
her black shoe.  
  
"So. What are you doing here?" Sally asked, sitting beside her, figuring  
  
that if she had to baby-sit the girl, she might as well be comfortable.  
  
"Me?" Relena looked up, "I'm waiting for father to finish sitting in a  
  
meeting. He has to be there. He's a member of the court," She sighed,  
  
staring down at the ground.  
  
"I've been waiting all day now."  
  
She let out another sigh.  
  
Against her will, Sally began to feel bad for her. It wasn't her fault she  
  
had no one to be with, save the few girls her age who deeply admired  
  
her.  
  
Still, the girl had to respect that her father was working for the better of  
  
the people.  
  
Sally turned her head to the right. She was now looking straight at the  
  
largest building in town, the great hall, Meduseld. Guards patrolled  
  
around the main entrance and the Rohan flag flew at the front.  
  
Inside, a gathering of country officials were meeting, discussing what to  
  
do about Gondor and the fighting to the east.  
  
However, things weren't going well. There were too many options to  
  
choose from.  
  
Sending help to Gondor, riding off to fight Mordor themselves, remaining  
  
impartial and waiting for the battle to come to them.  
  
And on top of it all, a new face was on the scene. A small, older man, with  
  
slimy black hair and heavy-lidded eyes. He had joined the city crowds a  
  
short time ago, his pale face was first seen inside the great halls soon  
  
afterwards.  
  
He was quickly gaining the lord's trust and confidence, and something  
  
about that frightened Sally.  
  
It all reminded her too much of her earlier travels with Noin; heading  
  
down through Mirkwood and then, later, to the east.  
  
This man reminded her of that time, and not of the companionship she  
  
enjoyed on the way.  
  
Relena didn't care for him either; he simply reminded her of a slug.  
  
A bird winged it's way through the air, it's presence reminding Sally of her  
  
own messenger bird. Her heart leapt as the thought of a response from  
  
an area too long silent appeared in her mind. The idea was soon  
  
quenched as she realized that the creature was a light brown, too large  
  
to be her own, and not dark enough to be the ones from the coast.  
  
Besides, her own Altron would not have had enough time to reach the  
  
other side of the Nimras mountains, much less be able to reach the  
  
southern coast and return, all within an hour.  
  
Feeling a crick in her neck, she stopped staring at the sky and stood up,  
  
brushing off her skirts.  
  
"I have things to do. You'll be fine, Relena?"  
  
"Hm?" The girl in question looked up from the ground. "I'll be all right. You  
  
don't have to watch me. I'm not a baby."  
  
Sally paused, startled that Relena had realized she was watching after  
  
her, before smiling.  
  
"No, you are not a baby. But you are a young girl. Almost the same thing,  
  
you know."  
  
Sally turned around, heading for her own home.  
  
"See you later, Relena."  
  
She walked around the side of the wall, blonde hair still swishing around  
  
it with the tip of her green skirt when the rest of her was already out of  
  
sight.  
  
The remaining figure let out a long audible sigh, letting her head drop and  
  
watching her foot draw in the dirt.  
  
After a short time, she too stood up and left, heading towards the main  
  
gates in the hope of catching a moment with her father.  
  
A single, dress-clad person, all alone, stood in the dust, in the drawing  
  
beneath the box. 


	12. October 30, Minas Tirith

I`m really sorry about the funky symbols, but I`m having some computor issues...  
  
Ok. I know it`s been a while. I`m sorry. V.V   
  
Dedications, as always.  
  
Ed: Trust me on this one. At my school, the english teacher are either a)   
  
older, balding women b) grandmothers c) toadish in appearance or d)   
  
perverts. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Mithros: ^^ Ok, then. Don`t worry, I plan on continuing. Actually, I know   
  
exactly what I want to put in a chapter about fifteen or so down the line,   
  
so you shouldn`t have to worry about me not continuing.  
  
***  
  
October 30, Minas Tirith  
  
Ò...In the drawing beneath the box.Ó  
  
Duo blinked and tossed down the book.   
  
ÒMan! Solo reads the weirdest stuff.Ó He rolled his eyes and dropped to   
  
the ground, feeling under his brother`s bed with one hand.  
  
ÒDust.Ó He sat up and looked around the small stone room.  
  
ÒWhere is it...Ó Standing up, he climbed onto the unmade bed and felt on the shelf above it.  
  
ÒNothing...nothing...Ó He picked an object up.  
  
ÒHey! A gold piece!Ó Pocketing this, jumped lightly off the bed and walked   
  
over to a chest of drawers standing next to the door.  
  
ÒLocked.Ó He drew back from it and reached into his pocket, where he   
  
pulled out a small twig of metal.  
  
ÒBut not for long!Ó He smiled and kneeling down, set about picking the   
  
lock.  
  
ÒCome on, you...Ó With a small click the lock opened.  
  
ÒYes!Ó He put his tool away, then opened the drawer.  
  
ÒClothes. LetÕs see whatÕs underneath them.Ó  
  
Duo brushed his hair out of his eyes then carefully picked up a stack of   
  
clothes, being careful not to unfold or disturb them anymore then he had   
  
to.   
  
ÒI`ve found the treasure!Ó He crowed to himself, lifting out a small pouch.  
  
ÒSolo`s money bag! I`ve finally found where he keeps it in his room!Ó  
  
ÒReally?Ó  
  
Duo froze, money bag in one hand, stack of clothes in the other, kneeling   
  
next to an open drawer in his brotherÕs room.  
  
He slowly turned around, noting with relief that it was not his brother   
  
behind him, but his father.  
  
ÒUh...Hi, father.Ó  
  
A smiling older man looked down on him. ÒWhat was that, Duo?Ó  
  
He grinned in an embarrassed way and carefully put both the stack of   
  
clothes and the leather pouch back in their places.  
  
ÒI...er...Ó   
  
He suddenly sprang up and sprinted out the open door, down the hall   
  
and out the front door, shouting ÒSorry `bout that!Ó over his shoulder.  
  
As he ran down the street leading away from his house, he barely missed   
  
colliding with a girl, about his age.   
  
Instead, he swerved to the side and tumbled over a basket of fruits,   
  
sending them flying.  
  
ÒHey, are you ok?Ó She asked, as he stood up and brushed himself off.  
  
ÒThat must`ve hurt.Ó  
  
He looked at the apples lying on the ground and tossed her one.  
  
ÒWhat`re you doing here, Hilde?Ó  
  
She smiled, ÒI could ask you the same thing.Ó  
  
He bit into the fruit. ÒTrue. Well, if you must know, I was running for my   
  
life, after being caught exercising my purloining abilities, so to speak,Ó He   
  
looked at her curiously. ÒYou?Ó  
  
She laughed, ÒYou might want to keep running.Ó   
  
Duo turned around to see a heavyset man walking towards them,   
  
sending him a dirty look.  
  
ÒUh...Ó Duo bent down and picked up an armful more of the sweet fruit,   
  
before grabbing Hilde with his free hand and dragging her down a side   
  
street, that would take them back to the main road on this level.   
  
ÒC`mon!Ó  
  
A fruit slipped out from his arms, bending down he swore, ÒAh, damnit.Ó   
  
He glanced at her.  
  
ÒCatch!Ó   
  
He tossed her the apple that he had dropped, and as she caught it, he   
  
stopped running.  
  
They were in what served as a town square, a small area with a couple of   
  
benches and, if you walked over to the wall, a view over the land.  
  
He sat down on a stone bench, and after a moments hesitation, she sat   
  
down next to him.  
  
There was silence for a while, before Duo spoke up.  
  
ÒTodayÕs the thirtieth, right?Ó  
  
Hilde responded, ÒYes. Why?Ó  
  
The braided boy grinned and jumped off the bench. ÒYa know, tomorrow   
  
night?Ó  
  
She looked at him, confused.  
  
ÒWhat? You mean you forgot?Ó He slapped his head, ÒAll Hallows Eve?   
  
The thirty-first?Ó Seeing that she was still drawing a blank, he continued.  
  
ÒThat means, a c-e-l-b-r-a-t-i-o-n.Ó  
  
He watched as the meaning of his words clicked.  
  
ÒA party, Hil`! Costumes, food, bonfires, the works!Ó He sat down on the   
  
stone ground in front of her.  
  
ÒThink of the fun!Ó He grinned at her.  
  
ÒYou`d have to be insane to not go.Ó  
  
ÒCall me insane, then, I guess.Ó She leaned forward, resting her chin on   
  
her cupped hand.  
  
ÒI assume you are going?Ó  
  
His eyes widened as he stared at her, ignoring her last question.  
  
Ò...What? How come?Ó He asked, utterly shocked as to why someone   
  
would not want to go.  
  
ÒDancing,Ó She answered simply. ÒHate it.Ó  
  
ÒOh,Ó He sat next to her on the bench. ÒYeah, me too. DonÕt know why   
  
they insist on making it part of the party.Ó   
  
Hilde nodded her agreement.  
  
ÒItÕs still fun, though,Ó Duo looked at her, ÒWhy miss out, just `cause you   
  
donÕt like to dance?Ó  
  
She paused for a moment, her hands playing with a loose string on her   
  
skirt, before she responded.   
  
ÒI`m not sure, actually. It just...always seemed to dampen the fun, I   
  
guess. It`s not much fun to sit all alone in the dark, watching couples   
  
dance around the fire.Ó  
  
Duo nodded vigorously, ÒI know what you mean. I`m sitting out there   
  
too.Ó  
  
ÒReally?Ó She looked at him, ÒWhy donÕt I ever see you?Ó  
  
He rubbed the back of his head, answering that he usually ended up   
  
hiding somewhere.  
  
Hilde laughed. ÒHow come?Ó  
  
Duo looked at the ground, muttering something inaudible, before   
  
snapping his head back up and talking louder.  
  
ÒBut like I said, it`s still a lot of fun,Ó He got an idea, his eyes lighting up,   
  
ÒHey! How`s this: when the dancing starts, we both meet somewhere. To   
  
get away, of course.Ó   
  
He grinned, ÒPlease? Sounds like you could use some company then, and   
  
I know I could.Ó  
  
She paused, thinking it over, before asking, ÒWhere would we meet?Ó  
  
Duo shrugged, ÒI don`t care. Behind the smithery?Ó  
  
She smiled, brushing her bangs out of her face, then responding, ÒThat   
  
sounds good. It`s on the same level as all the main booths, too. We won`t   
  
even have to go that far.Ó  
  
ÒYeah, but we`ll still be far enough away from the bonfire. NobodyÕs   
  
gonna make us go back to the main area.Ó  
  
She thrust her hand out, ÒDeal, then? Shake on it?Ó  
  
He grasped her hand, giving it a hearty shake.   
  
ÒDeal! IÕll be sure to meet you there, babe.Ó  
  
Duo dropped her hand and leaned back, watching her reaction through   
  
strands of chestnut hair.  
  
He chuckled nervously as she stared at him, unsure of what to make of   
  
that last comment.  
  
***  
  
She stared at him, unsure of what to make of that last comment.  
  
ÒSolo? What did--Ó   
  
The tall boy peeking around a pillar motioned for Cathy to come look for   
  
herself.  
  
She sighed and did so, poking her head out below his, her light skirts   
  
blowing in the breeze playing around the city.  
  
After looking for a few moments, she stood up straight and glared at   
  
Solo.  
  
ÒAll right, I looked. What did you mean?Ó  
  
Solo smiled and withdrew his head, ÒCan`t you see?Ó  
  
She crossed her arms, ÒIf I could, would I be asking you?Ó  
  
He turned around, his hand grazing the stone pillar.  
  
Catherine looked at him, ÒWell?Ó  
  
He shook his head, ÒAnd they say that men arenÕt perceptive.Ó  
  
She glared at him, ÒAnd exactly what is that supposed to mean?Ó  
  
ÒShh.Ó He put a finger to his lips. ÒWatch.Ó   
  
Solo, a soldier of Gondor, went back to spying on his younger brother,   
  
sticking his head around a pillar to watch two young people talk.  
  
Cathy sighed and stuck her head out also.   
  
ÒSo...what did you mean?Ó  
  
Solo grinned widely, ÒA part of my training is lip reading.Ó He spoke   
  
directly to Cathy, ÒAnd I can tell you that what is going on over there is   
  
very interesting.Ó  
  
ÒReally?Ó Cathy looked up, curious, ÒWhat`s he saying?Ó She asked as she   
  
scrutinized the form of the long haired boy.  
  
ÒWell,Ó Solo said, ÒHe just said, `I`llbe sure to meat you there, babe`.Ó He   
  
beamed at the girl next to him, watching as she stared at him in a   
  
confused manner.  
  
Ò...So?Ó  
  
ÒSo? What do you mean, `so`?Ó Solo asked, standing up straight and   
  
crossing his arms.   
  
ÒDuo, my little brother, mind you, just called Hilde, your best friend,   
  
`babe`.Ó  
  
ÒI got that, Solo.Ó Cathy sighed, ÒBut unless you feel like telling me why   
  
that is so important, I donÕt think I`m interested.Ó  
  
He exhaled loudly, muttering about stupid women, before pulling her onto   
  
the ground and squatting next to her.  
  
ÒLook. I call people `babe`, right?Ó He asked, continuing when Cathy   
  
nodded.  
  
ÒI`m his older brother, right?Ó Cathy nodded again, looking impatient.  
  
ÒSo, he decides to copy his older brother, imitate him, and calls Hilde   
  
`babe`.Ó  
  
Catherine stared at him, one eyebrow raised and the look on her face   
  
screaming, ÒAnd your point is?Ó.  
  
Solo sighed again. ÒSo...Ó He made gestures with his hands.  
  
ÒSolo, the only answer I`m getting is one of very high self praise on your   
  
part,Ó She crossed her arms, ÒSo unless this is conversation is going   
  
somewhere, I`m going to leave.Ó  
  
He ran a hand through his hair, ÒLook. Who do I call babe?Ó  
  
Cathy blinked.   
  
ÒHow should I know?Ó  
  
ÒPeople that I like,Ó Solo said, talking slowly, as if to a young child.  
  
ÒNow, we have already determined that I am his older brother, and he   
  
looks up to me,Ó He was interrupted by a small cough. He glared at   
  
Catherine before continuing, ÒHe looks up to me, and imitates me. So,   
  
since I call people I like `babe`, then since he copies me by calling Hilde   
  
`babe`, then he. must. like. her.Ó He stated, punctuating the important   
  
words.  
  
She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face.   
  
ÒDon`t you think you are reading too much into this? You _think_ you   
  
hear him say `babe` once, so you now think he must like her?Ó She shook   
  
her head.  
  
ÒYou go ahead and believe that, Solo,Ó She played with a loose thread on   
  
her skirt. ÒBut I still say you are reading too much into this.Ó  
  
ÒAm not!Ó Solo replied childishly, sticking his tongue out and crossing his   
  
arms.  
  
ÒAre too,Ó She responded, mimicking him in a teasing fashion. ÒTo find out   
  
who a person likes, you need to ask them. Not just assume. I say you ask   
  
him who he likes. He can`t lie, remember?Ó  
  
ÒIÕm not going to do that,Ó Solo said, shaking his head, ÒThat`s too mean.Ó  
  
ÒIsn`t that what older brothers are for?Ó Cathy asked, ÒBeing mean?Ó  
  
ÒNo,Ó Solo glared at her, ÒI`m not going to do that! ThatÕs cruel. He sucks   
  
at not lying and not telling the truth, so heÕs got no way to defend   
  
himself. Besides,Ó He poked his head out around the pillar again, ÒI think   
  
this tells me all I need to know.Ó  
  
Cathy rolled her eyes, ÒOh, come on, Solo. This,Ó She waved a hand at   
  
the scene behind the pillar, ÒTells us nothing.Ó She stood up, joining the   
  
boy in looking around the stone pillar.  
  
ÒI say he doesnÕ`t like her, and you are jumping to conclusions.Ó  
  
He turned around, now facing her. ÒWho`s brother is it? Mine. If it was   
  
Trowa, then youÕd have more say, but since it`s Duo, I get the final word.Ó  
  
ÒNo, he gets the final word. I say we ask him.Ó  
  
ÒWe can`t ask him, Cathy. All we can do is go by hs actions. And his   
  
actions say he likes her.Ó  
  
ÒWell, I say he doesn`t.Ó  
  
ÒHe does.Ó Solo watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ears.  
  
ÒLook, Cathy, I`ll make a bet with you. I say he likes her, you say he   
  
doesn`t. Whoever`s right gets,Ó He did a quick count of his savings, ÒSix   
  
gold coins from the other, agreed?Ó  
  
Catherine nodded.  
  
ÒHow long do we have to find out?Ó  
  
Solo shrugged. ÒEither until he says something, or two months, whichever   
  
comes first. At the end of the time period, we assume he doesn`t like her   
  
because he didn`t do anything.Ó  
  
She smiled, ÒSounds like a deal.Ó  
  
He grinned, held out his hand, and shook on it.  
  
***  
  
Review?  
  
Please?  
  
Just press that little purple button... 


	13. October 31, Mirkwood

I believe I had the most interesting dream about Gandalf, chibi's and  
  
possibly a strip club last night. However, unfortunately(or fortunately,  
  
now that I think about it) I can't remember a single thing.  
  
Disclaimer: As I have stated numerous times before, I don't actually own  
  
Gundam Wing or Lord of the Rings. Sad, isn't it?  
  
Midii Une: Thanks for the review! Kat was complementing you on  
  
something today...I can't remember what it was, however. Thank you for  
  
naming yourself Midii Une; it reminded me I had been neglecting the  
  
Mirkwood crowd.  
  
Kat: We really need to work on ThreeBrokenMirrors sometime. -_-;  
  
Anyway, I'm currently talking to you over aim, so toodles!  
  
Ed: Thanks for the warning. ^^ And look! I got this one up correctly!  
  
Mithros/Claire: Thanks for reviewing my story. I was giving up on getting  
  
any more reviews on this chapter, but, hey! And I haven't actually read  
  
any stories in a couple of weeks, so I forgot what the review button looks  
  
like... V.V  
  
This one doesn't quite fit the format of the others; I couldn't get it to work  
  
correctly that way. Oh well.  
  
By the way, sorry about the long pause in-between updates. I was  
  
working on this, but random other ideas have been popping into my  
  
head, and if I don't work on something within the first 48 hours or so of  
  
thinking of it, I'm going to lose interest.  
  
***  
  
October 31, Mirkwood  
  
He grinned, held out his hand, and shook on it.  
  
"You drive a hard bargain, sister, but it's agreed. I'll do research on  
  
Gondor for you." 


	14. October 31, Edoras

Disclaimer: Yo no tengo el "Gundam Wing" or el Señor de los anillos.  
  
My spanish grammar sucks terribly.  
  
Kat: ...For reviewing my other story. 13xh, yeah! And for your spoken  
  
review!  
  
Claire: You can always review again! I'm a sucker for reviews!  
  
Midii Une: Yeah, they do look alike, don't they? Trowa seems to have a  
  
thing for blondes...  
  
Lisa: I was actually about to tell you that I had updated when I got your  
  
review. Thanks a bunch! See you at school and on the 22! Um...lesse...It  
  
was because Q doesn't want to get in trouble about breaking weapons  
  
stuff 'cause he is trying to convince his family that he would be GOOD with  
  
weapons...and anyway, Midii's nice.  
  
This is the chapter that gets it all rolling.*mad cackle and rubbing  
  
together of hands* The fun...  
  
Ai! I just realized I left out one of the fan club girls. That won't do! She  
  
must come in to annoy us too!(I like Relena's friends less than I like  
  
her...and she bugs me for the first 48 episodes.)  
  
Oh, and since a lot of this is being written early in the morning(yawn) I'm  
  
stopping that little connecting sentence between chapters/scene  
  
changes. I'm lazy. It'll still be used...sometimes.  
  
***  
  
October 31, Edoras  
  
Two figures on horseback wove their way up the crooked road into the  
  
city of Edoras. The leading one, a female, threw back the hood of her  
  
cloak, enjoying the light early morning sun.  
  
She turned around.  
  
"Chang Wufei! Hurry up!"  
  
The second saddled figure glared at her, his horse shaking it's head  
  
nervously.  
  
She beamed at him, "We're almost there. I haven't been back in so long.  
  
Come! I want you to meet someone."  
  
She laughed, the sound echoing across the hilly land in the dawn light, a  
  
soft, pealing sound much different than the deeper sound of her voice.  
  
Wufei looked up as he heard it, thinking for a second that it was made by  
  
someone else. Seeing no one else around, he returned to staring straight  
  
ahead, absent-mindedly running a hand down the rough mane of his  
  
steed.  
  
As they neared the great wooden doors of the main city in Rohan, he  
  
noticed several grass covered hills lining the road. White flowers grew on  
  
them and nowhere else.  
  
"Noin," He called ahead, "What are those?" When she turned around to  
  
look at him, he waved a hand at the mounds.  
  
She stopped her horse, looking at them for a long moment before  
  
answering.  
  
"Those are the barrows of kings long gone. Simbelmyne grows where life  
  
once flourished," She said, turning her mount around and looking away.  
  
"Come, let's hurry. It isn't much farther," Noin said, gesturing towards the  
  
entrance to the city looming nearby.  
  
As she hurried off, Wufei found himself falling behind, staring at the  
  
flowers, wondering if they grew also to the south.  
  
***  
  
"Sally!"  
  
The blonde woman turned around. She was standing a little inside the  
  
main gates, walking across the steep path, returning to her home after  
  
seeing to it that her young charge was safe with her fan club.  
  
Scanning the street in the dim light, she saw two figures on horseback,  
  
the one in front had a hand raised in greeting.  
  
"Noin?" Her voice echoed slightly in the early morning still.  
  
"Is that you?" She laughed as the two figures rode up to her, now that  
  
they were closer she could clearly make out their features. The woman in  
  
front was definitely her friend, however the man behind her was a  
  
stranger. He had lightly tanned skin and black hair, tied back neatly.  
  
A long curved sword hung at his side.  
  
"Long time no see," Noin said in her husky voice, reaching down and  
  
having her hand clasped by two others.  
  
"Same here," Sally smiled, then released her grip, looking over Noin's  
  
shoulder to the man behind her.  
  
"Welcome. Who are you?"  
  
He took in her light smile, hastily pulled back hair, and long leather glove  
  
on her right hand, deep brown and scratched.  
  
There was a long silence, before Noin spoke.  
  
"This is Chang Wufei, he's coming with me to Lóthlorien. Wufei, this is  
  
Sally Po, a good friend of mine. We will be staying with her for awhile, if  
  
that's all right, of course," She added, glancing at the other woman.  
  
"It's fine," Sally said, looking up suddenly and scanning the sky line as  
  
though she saw something. She dropped her head, speaking normally  
  
again.  
  
"You are always welcome, Noin. Come, my home is further inwards," She  
  
said, falling in stride with her friend's horse as it walked forwards,  
  
towards her house.  
  
***  
  
Three figures, two riding, passed by. A man standing in the shadows that  
  
formed behind a small thatched house watched them. Colbat blue eyes  
  
glinted in the half light. It had taken him eighteen days to reach the city.  
  
It had been two since he last spoke out loud.  
  
Not that there had been anyone to talk to.  
  
Eighteen days...He was a fast traveler, but the journey had still been  
  
long.  
  
It had taken him eighteen long hard days to get here, and it was only  
  
now that he was here that the urge to travel had left.  
  
The dream was no longer pushing him forward. He was where it wanted  
  
him.  
  
Only he didn't know why.  
  
He sighed, turning his head in the opposite direction as he heard talking.  
  
There were five girls, four of them encircling the other.  
  
***  
  
A girl with light brown hair, delicately pulled back and fastened, giggled.  
  
She turned to the girl on her right, tugging on her light orange sleeve.  
  
"Look over there!" She gestured with a hand, soft from a life of ease, to  
  
the man seated on a sleek black stallion.  
  
Her friend saw him, then leaned over backwards in a mock swoon.  
  
Straightening up, she reached over and gave her other friend's arm a  
  
yank.  
  
That girl, a taller one with light freckles across the bridge of her nose and  
  
long brown hair, falling over her shoulders and down her back glanced  
  
up.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you see? Look at him!"  
  
She looked, her hand flying to her mouth, a surpressed squeal leaking  
  
out.  
  
Relena watched as all four soon went into happy bubbly giggles, clutching  
  
at each other's hands and talking in high voices.  
  
Curious, she looked over to where they were pointing. She caught sight  
  
of an Asian-looking man in a dark blue tunic and white pants, both dusty  
  
from travel. He was riding a little behind a woman, also dark haired and  
  
fair skinned, but her clothing was much more elaborate and richly  
  
designed. Walking next to this strange woman was...Sally?  
  
Relena paused, blinked, and looked again. How did Sally know these  
  
strangers?  
  
Excusing herself, she quickly headed over to check it out.  
  
***  
  
The group of girls parted as one of them slipped away, calling goodbyes  
  
over her shoulder and heading over to the travelers and young Rohan  
  
woman.  
  
Heero Yuy watched her through narrowed eyes. There was something  
  
about her that was strangely familiar.  
  
Something that he should remember.  
  
Something vitally important.  
  
***  
  
"Why, hello, Relena," Sally said, smiling.  
  
Relena gave a quick nod of her head, bowing slightly in deference to the  
  
other three people, all appearing to be at least five years her elders.  
  
Relena looked up, glancing at the two strangers, then looking uncertainly  
  
at the tall blonde woman who gave her a small understanding grin.  
  
"Noin, Wufei, this is Relena," She announced, placing a hand on the girl's  
  
shoulders.  
  
"Relena, this is Wufei and Noin," She said, gesturing at them.  
  
Noin gave the younger girl, standing down below her and half hidden  
  
behind Sally's skirt which was swirling as the breeze picked up, a kind  
  
smile.  
  
Wufei gave her an unreadable glance and looked away.  
  
Faltering at this unexpected greeting, Relena spoke, "Welcome to Edoras.  
  
I hope you have a good stay, and," She stopped short of whatever else  
  
she was going to say, looking interestedly under the neck of the lead  
  
horse and into an area still shrouded in darkness behind a small house.  
  
"I'll see you around," She quickly said, heading over to see what had  
  
caught her attention.  
  
Lucrezia Noin shot Sally a look.  
  
She shrugged, "She's always like that. She's not as withdrawn as the last  
  
time you saw her, Noin."  
  
"You got that right," Noin nodded, secretly enjoying the look of confusion  
  
on Wufei's face.  
  
"You were showing us where your new home is?" She asked, nudging her  
  
horse into a slow walk.  
  
"Yes. It's further back this way," Sally said, leading them away.  
  
***  
  
Eyes narrowing, Heero backed away from the light. His movement had  
  
caught that girl's attention, and she was now headed over to where he  
  
was hiding.  
  
He had headed out from behind the house to the area next to it, thinking  
  
that he would still be hidden enough.  
  
Apparently, he had been wrong.  
  
Like a shadow slipping away from a beam of light, the ranger vanished in  
  
a matter of seconds, the only clue to where he had gone a footprint in  
  
the dust, and a faint rustle of material from above.  
  
***  
  
Relena poked her head into the small alleyway between two houses,  
  
taking a look around.  
  
She coughed, the light breeze had stirred up the dirt, creating small dust  
  
clouds.  
  
Stepping completely into the alley, she noticed a wooden box against the  
  
side of the house, a pile of firewood leaning up against it.  
  
Slightly curious, she stepped forward, wondering about how long it must  
  
have taken to compile such a large amount of wood, when she saw it.  
  
A footprint, about ten inches long, untouched by the settling and swirling  
  
dust.  
  
Relena crouched down, being careful not to step on the hem of her long  
  
skirts, now stained a light brown at the edges with dirt.  
  
She looked at it for a long moment. A single footprint, none others  
  
around.  
  
She slowly reached out and touched it with a finger shaking slightly from  
  
such deliberate movements.  
  
A gasp.  
  
And there she was: A girl, kneeling in the dirt, still tied down, but no  
  
longer noticing.  
  
***  
  
Random note: In the "Lays of Beleriand", a person called Huan(^_^)  
  
brought a leaf of athelas to Luthien to heal Beren. Looks like Huan has  
  
been around longer than he admits.  
  
Ah, craps. This chapter isn't quite finished yet, but I really need to get  
  
something up. And since that was a decent place to stop, I'm stopping.  
  
I'll send this to Kat to beta(since she was getting on my case about that),  
  
then make any necessary changes and post.  
  
The next chapter will take place on the same day in the same place, if  
  
anyone wants to know.  
  
That's cause it's actually the second half of this chapter. 


	15. October 31, Edoras2

Yo.  
  
*slaps head* The annoying school girls are nameless! That won't do.  
  
short blonde hair girl: Lindë(singer)  
  
flipped brown hair girl: Lissi(sweet)  
  
long brown hair girl: Lalaith(laughter)  
  
short black hair girl: Linte(swift)  
  
Disclaimer for the second half of the chapter:  
  
(self destruct!)X_x-o[The]  
  
#xxx(^_~-o[Authoress]  
  
//_^-o[Doesn't]  
  
ûo-^_^-o[Own]  
  
-_-*-o[Gundam Wing or The Lord of the Rings!]  
  
Thanks to...  
  
Claire: ^^ Thank you! ^^ I feel...*giggle* loved!  
  
Ed: Yay! You're back! Actually, I can picture him doing that quite easily. It  
  
looks very painful. I just didn't take Japanese because, quite frankly, I  
  
suck at it.  
  
I just thought of something. Are you the Ed from Cowboy Bebop?  
  
Jaid Skywalker: Thanks for reviewing! I love the quotes you have in your  
  
info, especially "Now that I've had my rant and have decided to murder  
  
Nadil, Lord of the Demons, I'm feeling a bit better."  
  
Dragon Knights rules.  
  
***  
  
Heero was standing on the roof of a house.  
  
As his mind processed what he was actually doing, he could feel his hand  
  
twitch, wanting so badly to come up and hit his forehead in exasperation.  
  
This had to be the stupidest thing he had ever done.  
  
Hiding from a girl, barely in her teens, by standing the a thatched roof of  
  
some townsman's hut.  
  
If he wasn't careful, his leg was going to slip through the straw roof,  
  
getting stuck, and resulting in his being found out.  
  
Sighing softly at his own idiocy, he inched over to the edge and slowly  
  
looked over.  
  
***  
  
"Lissi!" A petite blonde called, grabbing her friend's wrist, her fingers  
  
sliding on the silky purple material of the brunette's sleeve.  
  
"What is it?" Lissi asked, her other hand reaching down to push the  
  
material back in place as the loose sleeve slid part way up her arm.  
  
"Look! Is that someone on the roof?"  
  
She squinted, looking in the direction pointed out to her, a few strands of  
  
hair coming loose and blowing in her eyes.  
  
She brushed them back, "Yes. I think it is. What's he doing up there?"  
  
"What's going on?" The other two turned and stared in the same  
  
direction at the man on top of a house, not a hundred yards away.  
  
Lalaith, with her long light brown hair, laughed.  
  
"Do you think he's going to fall through?"  
  
They all giggled at this idea before the last one spoke, rubbing her hands  
  
together in the brisk morning winds.  
  
"He must be a traveler. Look at what he's wearing."  
  
Lindë nodded, then pushed her light locks back into place.  
  
"He's so dirty."  
  
"I wonder where he came from."  
  
"I wonder how long he's staying."  
  
"I wonder _where_ he's staying."  
  
"You know," Lissi said, pursing her lips, "He's kind of attractive...in a  
  
vagaboundish way."  
  
The other three slowly nodded their agreement, then burst out laughing.  
  
***  
  
Heero almost jumped a foot in the air.  
  
Turning around slowly, he sent a glare in the direction of the high pitched  
  
giggles, smirking to himself as the girls fell quiet.  
  
Peeking over the edge, he saw the young girl still standing there,  
  
kneeling in the dirt.  
  
Sighing with exasperation, he wondered when she would go away. Even  
  
if she didn't notice him up here, there were others noticing...and mocking  
  
him.  
  
It was with this last thought that he, to his great regret, began to fall.  
  
***  
  
A dark haired man, dirty and sweaty from many days travels, pitched  
  
forward, falling downwards, and landing in an ungraceful heap, not a foot  
  
away from a startled young girl.  
  
The impact of the crash knocked the air out of his lungs, and as he lay  
  
there, fighting for air and for the pressure on his chest to loosen, Relena  
  
slowly stood up.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked nervously, tucking a stray dirty blonde  
  
strand of hair behind her ear and reaching out to him.  
  
"Do you need any help?"  
  
He took one look at her outstretched hand and scrambled to his feet, his  
  
back against a hard stone wall.  
  
He stared at her, her proximity to him reviving old memories long buried  
  
and forgotten.  
  
"You," There was a short pause, then an intake of breath. Realization hit  
  
and his left hand shot up to cover his face, the whites showing all the  
  
way around his widened eyes.  
  
"Did you see?" He was frightened; a feeling he had not experienced for  
  
some time now. In fact, not since he had last seen her, had last been this  
  
close to her. Close enough to reach out and touch her, to see her large  
  
blue eyes looking at him questioningly, darker shades of blue jumping out  
  
at him, threatening to engulf him in an unknown ocean of emotions...  
  
"See what?" Relena asked, confused.  
  
"Your face?" She laughed, the noise bubbling up from deep within her;  
  
mere amusement that someone would ask such a question.  
  
Watching her, Heero slowly backed up until he had put a few more feet  
  
distance between them.  
  
She had seen him.  
  
She had already seen, a long time ago.  
  
He cursed in a foreign language unknown to her, then quickly turned and,  
  
reddening, ran out, leaving the girl behind.  
  
Leaving her behind for the second time.  
  
Relena stood in that same position for several seconds: One hand  
  
outstretched, still reaching out to him, the other hanging limply by her  
  
side.  
  
She watched his retreating form dart down a road and behind a building.  
  
Then she finally spoke, not understanding the reaction of this strange  
  
young man, who couldn't be much older than herself.  
  
Her words came out confused and haphazard, the individual syllables  
  
shaky.  
  
"My name is Relena Darlian," Her head tilted slightly to the side, a deep  
  
mixture of hurt and curiosity clouding her light blue eyes.  
  
"What's yours?"  
  
***  
  
"It all looks very different," Noin commented from her perch atop the  
  
sleek black mare.  
  
"You've been gone a long while," Sally laughed, "But it has changed."  
  
"So has she," Noin said, glancing over her shoulder fondly at where they  
  
had last seen Relena.  
  
"I trust you are watching her?"  
  
"Yes, vigorously and much to her annoyance," Sally replied, taking her  
  
guests down a turn off the main road.  
  
"It's down here," She commented needlessly.  
  
After a moment she continued making small talk with her old friend.  
  
"So. Have you been able to get through to the south? I haven't been able  
  
to get any responses to my messages. Actually," She said, arriving at a  
  
good-sized stone house, single storied, but fairly large, "I just sent out  
  
another letter with Altron yesterday. I keep expecting to see him return  
  
with a reply, even though he couldn't possibly have gotten there and  
  
back so soon."  
  
A small stable jutted off the side of her home, barely large enough to fit  
  
both the travelers horses and one other. A wooden cage, protected by  
  
the elements by the overhang of the stable roof, stood nearby.  
  
Leading them over to the stables, she unlocked the door and allowed  
  
them inside as she headed over to the cage.  
  
Once her visitors were inside, she unlocked it's smaller door and carefully  
  
retrieved a large silver bird, getting it settled on her leather glove before  
  
removing it's hood.  
  
She carefully stroked it's plumage with one finger, pulling it back quickly to  
  
avoid getting bitten.  
  
"Aren't you the little rascal?" She murmured, attempting again to touch it  
  
in this manner.  
  
It was foolish, she knew, but the red crest atop it's head was just too  
  
tempting.  
  
The delicate spiraling feathers simply lured her, begging her to touch  
  
them.  
  
"Tallgeese," She repeated under her breath. She had said it's name  
  
countless times now, but it was still as unfamiliar as before.  
  
The whole scenario was unfamiliar.  
  
A majestic phoenix crashing in Rohan.  
  
It was strange, to say the least.  
  
***  
  
Inside the stables, Wufei took a good look around. He had led his ride  
  
into a stall, one of three, and was taking off the saddle, imitating Noin's  
  
movements as she carefully unbuckled it and lifted it off.  
  
It was, as it appeared to be from the outside, rather small, with room  
  
enough for barely three horses. Noin's two horses, one of which had  
  
been lent to him, were in the two stalls nearest to the door. Not five feet  
  
away from him was another stall in which another horse rested.  
  
It was a she, a fairly small mare of a deep golden color with darker brown  
  
dappling, large brown eyes and a silky looking mane.  
  
Noin, noticing what he was looking at, came over.  
  
She stood next to him and whistled her admiration of the horse.  
  
"Beauty, isn't she?"  
  
He glanced up at her, slightly startled and annoyed to be caught off  
  
guard.  
  
"What's the name?"  
  
"Sandrock. Sally's raised her from a little thing," She placed her hand in  
  
the air at waist height to demonstrate small she used to be, "Into this  
  
gorgeous mare."  
  
She spent a long moment gazing at the horse before turning back to the  
  
man next to her.  
  
"So. You ready?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"All right. Let's go."  
  
As they walked out, Sally greeted them, talking as she placed something  
  
back into the cage on the side of the wall.  
  
"Come, let me show you to your rooms," Sally said, smiling at them.  
  
"This is unusual. I've never had two guests at once. Usually Noin comes  
  
alone." She said, casting a glance at the dark haired woman.  
  
"So I only have one spare bedroom. But that will work just fine. Us girls  
  
can bunk down together, and you," She spoke as she opened her front  
  
door and led them inside, "Chang Wufei, can sleep in the extra room."  
  
Wufei's eyes widened with surprise as he entered her house.  
  
He had expected a traditional northerners decorations, possibly  
  
something more unusual, but certainly not this.  
  
This was...  
  
Home.  
  
***  
  
Leaning up against the wall of a fairly large stone house was a man,  
  
Heero Yuy. There were voices inside, signaling that whoever lived there  
  
was awake and around, but he didn't care.  
  
He needed a place to rest, regain his wits, and forage for food. His pack  
  
was completely empty of supplies and had been for the past two days.  
  
His water had run out yesterday, but thirst wasn't his main problem; he  
  
had found a water barrel inside town and had taken a drink from there.  
  
Right now, be just wanted a place to sleep and something hot to eat.  
  
Both of which he would hopefully find here.  
  
Most of the people didn't live this far back, so there was a good chance  
  
that girl wouldn't come here.  
  
Besides, he thought, sneaking around the corner of the house and seeing  
  
a stable up ahead, even if she does see me, I doubt I have anything to  
  
worry about. She was only an infant then, she won't remember me. To  
  
her, I'm just a traveler passing through. There's no possible way that the  
  
Peacecraft girl will figure it out.  
  
There's no way.  
  
***  
  
Yes. The infamous introduction. It had to be in here somewhere.  
  
Review, please? 


	16. November 1, Minas Tirith

Disclaimer: Me ≠ Owner of GWing or LotR  
  
Thanks...  
  
LunarEclipse3412: ^^ I'm on a favorites list...of someone I don't know  
  
personally!  
  
Claire: Setting Duo on me? Hell yeah, I'd like that. Relena? Ok, I give!  
  
Here! Next chapter!  
  
Ed: Wow. I'm the first to get it? I don't even watch Cowboy Bebop(which,  
  
for some weird reason, I keep spelling 'Coyboy Bepop' -_-;;). Hmm. In  
  
that case, I love your dog! My friend wants one of those, she thinks  
  
they're adorable!  
  
If this chapter is a little weird/overly descriptive, I blame it on Julius  
  
Caesar(no, not the man). I have to read it for English. It's messing with  
  
my mind.  
  
A page or so of this is written immediately after reading part of the book,  
  
so I was still in Shakespearian mode.  
  
***  
  
Gondor, November 1  
  
As the sun slowly inched it's way up the high walls of Minas Tirith, steadily  
  
creeping over the battlements and towers, the inhabitants within this  
  
mighty city began to slowly awake.  
  
In a small window carved out of the white stone making up most of the  
  
city, a beam of sunlight crept in, much to the annoyance of the person  
  
sleeping inside.  
  
"Stupid sun...go 'way," The young teenager muttered, rolling over and  
  
pulling his woolen blanket up above his head, tightly shutting his eyes  
  
and attempting to block out the light filtering into his room.  
  
After lying there for a little more than a minute, one conscious thought  
  
found it's way into his mind.  
  
'It's really quite hot under here.'  
  
Sighing melodramatically, he threw the sheets off, sending a harsh glare  
  
in the direction of the offending ray of light.  
  
Sitting on the side of his bed, he grabbed his braid of hair, systematically  
  
undoing it and wondering why he hadn't taken it out when he went to  
  
sleep.  
  
Shrugging, Duo blamed it on the party. It had gone on all night, so he  
  
hadn't gotten back to his house until three; Solo hadn't come home until  
  
five.  
  
He grinned, pulling the old gray shirt he slept in off over his head, and  
  
grabbing a fresh white one out of a drawer. Solo was so busted.  
  
Laughing softly and maniacally, he quickly changed the rest of his clothes  
  
without incident, rebraided his hair, then tripped and fell on his face as he  
  
walked out of his room.  
  
He scowled, then pushed himself up, cheerful again.  
  
Was there any greater pleasure than that of knowing your sibling was  
  
going to be in a lot of trouble?  
  
He shook his head no. He couldn't think of anything, at least not at this  
  
early hour.  
  
Sniggering to himself, he padded down the stone hallways of his house,  
  
stopping outside a wooden door, maybe ten feet away from the main  
  
entrance and exit.  
  
Raising one hand to eye level with the door, he smiled from ear to ear at  
  
the mental image of what he was about to do, then harshly rapped on  
  
the faded wood, calling out in an obnoxiously loud and cheery voice.  
  
"Good morning, Solo! Are you awake yet? The whole of the city is up by  
  
now, father has already left for his job! It's a beeeautiful day out; the sun  
  
is shining, the birds are singing, and your adored younger brother is here  
  
to pull the sheets off of your bed and sing the newfound praises of this  
  
glorious heaven-sent day!"  
  
As he finished that sentence and opened his mouth for the next, the door  
  
flew open, barely missing him as he jumped backwards, bouncing from his  
  
previous spot to the one he now occupied.  
  
Dark rimmed eyes glared at Duo, as Solo stood framed in the light  
  
seeping from under his partially open window.  
  
Duo observed his brother.  
  
His dark hair was disheveled and messy and he was wearing the same  
  
clothes he had on the previous night: a pair of soft deep brown pants  
  
and a black shirt with lacing part way down the chest, all undone with the  
  
ties hanging loose. He looked mostly asleep, and even as he stood in the  
  
doorway, sending his younger brother the most ferocious look possible at  
  
the moment, he yawned, swaying slightly.  
  
"Ooh," Duo said tauntingly, "Someone's gonna be put on guard duty  
  
again. You've got a meeting in five minutes, and if you show up like that,"  
  
He pointed at his brother, grinning, "I doubt they'll let you out the city for  
  
a year!"  
  
"Go. Away." Solo said hoarsely, reaching out of the doorway, and shoving  
  
Duo backwards and giving his braid a hard yank, before slamming the  
  
door.  
  
Sticking his tongue out at the closed door, Duo laughed.  
  
He then winced and rubbed the back of his head tenderly, before turning  
  
around and walking out of the door, heading down to his favorite post; a  
  
small overhanging area, looking down upon the main road, reachable only  
  
by a narrow flight of stairs.  
  
***  
  
Hilde sighed.  
  
She was sitting on a bench near the center of the city, all alone and  
  
bored. Looking around her at the steady trickle of people walking past,  
  
she brushed a strand of dark black, almost blue hair out of her face.  
  
She sighed again, then smiled.  
  
Remembering the festival, she admitted she had to agree with Duo. It  
  
had been fun.  
  
They had both been with their own groups of friends until the dancing  
  
started. By the time that most others were pairing up in couples and  
  
dancing around the bonfire, she and Duo had slipped away, watching as  
  
they left the shapes and shadows cast by the shifting flames.  
  
She had met him as planned, behind the smithery.  
  
There they had sat and talked for around five hours, leaving only to steal  
  
the occasional pastry or mug of cider from unattended booths.  
  
And now, sitting on a bench in the middle of the fortress called Minas Tirith, Hilde laughed.  
  
***  
  
Duo leaned over the wall, perfectly white but for where the passage of  
  
time had left it's mark, helped by the changing seasons relentless winds  
  
and weathering, leaving behind patches of gray and brown: Scars on a  
  
flawless mask.  
  
He slouched down, dangling one arm over the edge, his fingertips  
  
brushing stone still cool from the early morning condensation that  
  
gathered each day upon it's roughened surface.  
  
He glanced over the edge of the wall, searching the clear blue sky for  
  
something of interest.  
  
He shoved off of the wall, falling backwards and landing sprawled on hs  
  
back, looking upwards towards the heavens.  
  
Duo Maxwell was dead bored.  
  
Placing the back of one hand on his brow and exhaling loudly, he rolled  
  
over onto his stomach, lazily watching a small brown and green bug crawl  
  
by, not a inch from his face.  
  
He continued watching as it walked over the length of a twig, hit the end  
  
and turned around, walking back the way it came.  
  
He sighed again, his breath sending the insect flying backwards, tumbling  
  
over in midair and landing on it's back, legs waving in the air as it franticly  
  
tried to right itself.  
  
Watching it struggle in an almost amused manner, he pushed himself off  
  
the ground, remaining in this position- arms straight and locked, back flat,  
  
legs no longer touching the floor- for several seconds before bending his  
  
elbows and with a shove, snapping into a seated position. He lazily  
  
leaned forward to scratch his leg and casually flipped the insect right side  
  
up, as his arm traveled back to rest at his side.  
  
"Man," He said, lying back down on his back, "Nothing good ever  
  
happens here. It's incredibly boring."  
  
He closed his eyes, sighing melodramatically for the third time that day,  
  
then slowly stood up.  
  
Shaking a crick out of his neck, he walked back over to his position at the  
  
wall, where he promptly collapsed over it, draping his upper body over  
  
the edge of the stone boundary, his head resting on it next to a small  
  
crack in the rock.  
  
He pulled one leg up, so that he was lying straddling the wall, one arm  
  
and one leg on either side of it.  
  
Duo lay like that for a few minutes, dozing off and waking up as he heard  
  
the call of a bird flying overhead.  
  
He sat up, one lightly booted foot kicking against the outer stone, the  
  
other  
  
brushing the dirty ground. He looked up at the bird, an ordinary sea bird,  
  
winging it's way above him.  
  
He laughed, jumping off the wall and watching it's path as it headed  
  
towards the ocean far away, just out of sight from the city.  
  
He cast a glance around him; no one in sight, most people were at work  
  
or sleeping off the after affects of the party.  
  
He grinned, then turned his face to the sky and shouted after it.  
  
"Hey! Hey, you! Bird! Bring me an adventure!"  
  
Duo paused, listening to his voice bounce off the seemingly white-washed  
  
walls and towers of the city, then laughed at the absurdity of it all.  
  
He brushed the dirt off of his clothes and, whistling a dance tune, walked  
  
over the the stairs and hopped down them two at a time, never paying  
  
that wish another thought.  
  
***  
  
Far over the city of Minas Tirith, a white bird heard the echo of a wish  
  
made in the naïvety and innocence of youth and slowly flew onwards,  
  
paying it no heed.  
  
***  
  
Come on, please review?  
  
I know I have an audiance of more than seven people...  
  
Hey you! Yeah, you! The person reading this who hasn't reviewed yet!  
  
Please tell me what you think of this story! 


	17. November 2, Rivendell

Disclaimer: Although I do own a spell check that keeps wanting to replace 'Gondor' with 'condor', and 'Quatre' with 'quarter', I own neither LotR or GWing.  
  
Yes...I was reading Julius Caesar again.  
  
LunarEclipse3412: Regular Fellowship(just 'cause Pippin is so damn cute) and most of it will actually "just be about goings-on while the Fellowship makes it's way to Mt. Doom." But at the moment, I'm in November, and if you notice, nothing happens in November. So there really isn't much mention of the Fellowship at all.  
  
Kat: Did I say nothing happens in November? I was wrong! Kat the Elf has her birthday in November!  
  
Ed: Yes. Very impatient. But that review notice seemed to work. I should put it up again...*imagines Faramir and Boromir* Ooh! I wish they put that in the movie/book!  
  
Jaid Skywalker: Thats. Definitely. Yup... You have a thing for elves, I have a thing for thieves.*pops open book five and oggles*  
  
Lisa: *hugs* Thanks for the reviews! Yay! I'll send you some more Heero pics after I get this up.  
  
***  
  
November 2, Rivendell  
  
A length of pale yellow material, it's silky surface shimmering slightly in the sunlight seeping through the large open glass windows in the good sized room in Rivendell, blew off the thick wooden table it was lying on. It drifted slowly to the floor, it's surface marred by a tear in the ribbon about an inch long and strangely made. It appeared as though a sharp object had been dragged through or across it.  
  
Something as sharp as a finely crafted blade. A dagger? A sword? A talon?  
  
As the ribbon hit the floor, the door to the room opened to reveal a man. An elf. He stood in the door frame, his short brown hair pulled back from his fair and handsome face, coming close to but not quite falling into his deep gray eyes. Closing the door behind him, he pulled off his dark blue tunic, revealing a cream colored long sleeved undershirt made of some sort of light, almost gauzy cloth. Walking to the open window, he noticed the strip of ribbon on the ground. He picked it up, holding it tightly in his hand before opening a small drawer and placing it inside with many others of it's type. He closed the drawer and strolled the remaining five feet to the window frame. He leaned on it, gazing out over the landscape unfolding before him.  
  
In the distance a waterfall cascaded down the mountain, it's mighty river of cool and clear water glinting in the pale sunlight as it made it's way through the city, flowing under bridges, both elven-made and natural.  
  
Trees lined walkways and paths, many of them tens of thousands of years old; some of them older. Their great branches streached up to the sky, light orange and yellow leaves adornding their limbs. The trees were normaly made up of greens and browns, however winter was fast approching and autum was upon those who lived in this half of the world.  
  
Grass and saplings decorated the ground. The occasional bush, speckled with pale pink or azure flowers were randomly placed throughout the city.  
  
Winding, sprawling buildings covered the rest of the scenery, great balconies, walkways, chambers, and smaller inclosed rooms filled the spaces left by the flowing river and plant life. Many of the structures were built without cealings, so as to allow their residents to be able to gaze upon the multitudes of stars at night and to watch the passage of clouds during the day.  
  
Although there were currently people of many races in Rivendell, the only people Trieze could currently see were Eldar. All tall and most dark haired, they walked along, their great lifespan and the calming effect the mighty house of Rivendell had upon it's inhabitants causing them to be in no hurry.  
  
Directly below his window, a pair of russet colored songbirds flew by, catching Trieze's eye and perching on a branch not too far away. Trieze smiled. It had been decided. The fate of the world had been decided. The ring was to be destroyed, although if it would ever meet that fate was still to be seen. It was to be taken far to the East... As if reading his thoughts, the birds took wing again, flying in their light fashion up and over the roof of many of the buildings, sailing on light breezes towards the sun; barely peeking over the Misty Mountains and bathing all of the world in a warm early morning light. Trieze watched them go, two specks of dust in an infinatly large void. They were soon swallowed up by the nothingness which was compleatly surrounding them, engulfing them in it's entirety. He watched and he quietly laughed. It was all coming together, and he, with his small part, would soon make his brief appearance before he too was lost in the abyss of time. Indeed, his part was already beginning, it had begun with the choosing of the path of the ring and the whole of Middle Earth. His own minor role would last him long enough. Now it was up to the actors in this vast and complicated play of life to stick to their ever changing scripts.  
  
In the vast city of Rivendell, the last homely house west of the mountains, home to many Elves and visiting friends, none heard a voice whispering in the young hours of the morning. Save one.  
  
At her own window, Lady Une looked to the sky. Her hair, still unbraided, hung around her shoulders, the light brown strands blowing in the slight wind coming from the East. She slowly turned her head to face his chambers, they were unseen from her room, but there none the less. Leaning further out the open window, she brushed a strand of hair from her face and softly echoed what he had said. Her words were unheard, falling to the ground beneath her window pane. She noticed, and sighed.  
  
Only Lord Trieze was able to make a whisper travel a mile. Only Lord Trieze; and only Lady Une could hear it.  
  
She turned around, walking back a few steps and closing the window behind her, her mind ringing with his words, past memories informing her of what he meant, worry and confusion trickling into her mind. "Trieze," She spoke, sitting down on her bed, her voice no louder than when she had responded to his call, "I will help." She looked out the window the light pouring in from it lighting her face and causing her deep red gown to glow slightly. Unnaturally. Like a thing of intelligence, the light slowly made it's way over her body, taking no longer than it would normally; streaming over a person was the same to it as streaming over a building. But with the light of day came a hidden promise. A shadow rode on the light. A wisp of knowledge, not new, simply realized and grasped. Lady Une sat up straight, her eyes steely and her outline less smooth and more harsh. She was a thing of contrasts, a double sided coin, flipping from one extreme to the other. And now war had been decided. The soldier was free. She spoke, a smile and laugh roughly edging their way into her words, as one would edge into a thick crowd, pushing and shoving others aside to make their way. The wisp of a breeze pulled the words, newly formed, from her mouth and carried them across the great city to a room, much like her own, where it deposeted them upon an elven ear.  
  
Treize smiled and repeated the words, first his, then hers, and now gracing his lips once again.  
  
And still no one else heard them, for no other two souls were intertwined in such a manner. No two other souls were in such harmony, such interwoven unity as theirs. He spoke; and the wind responded.  
  
"I am ready."  
  
***  
  
Eldar: High Elven, meaning 'of the stars', if I remember correctly.  
  
Ah, not that you remember this(I hope), but I just caught a mistake in chapter two. When Cathy is trying to give Hilde a time frame for when some event occurred, she says it was the day after "Boromir, my brother, and some others left". It is supposed to say Faramir instead of Boromir. Well, originally it _was_ supposed to say Boromir, but then I changed how I wanted to write the story, and forgot to change the name. V.V;;  
  
*apple c* *apple v* Come on, please review? I know I have an audiance of more than seven people... Hey you! Yeah, you! The person reading this who hasn't reviewed yet! Please tell me what you think of this story! 


	18. November 3, Lothlórien

Disclaimer: I hereby claim this land of After Colony 195 and beyond as my  
  
own, to do with what I will!  
  
...What? You mean I can't just stick a flag to the book? It's already been  
  
claimed? Oh, crap.  
  
Jaid Skywalker: You act like Rune? ...Remind me never to diss Lord  
  
Lykouleon around you. ^^; I don't care to have a large boulder chucked  
  
at my head.  
  
Kat: Well, Meh. Too bad. I forgot, anyways. ...Sorry?  
  
***  
  
November 3, Lothlórien  
  
Zechs glanced towards the sky.  
  
It had been four days now.  
  
Four days...  
  
Tallgeese had taken four days to deliver a letter before. But that had  
  
been a letter to the far north, not to the road leading to Lórien.  
  
He turned and looked upwards again.  
  
He was becoming impatient, anxious, worried.  
  
This letter was important. He had wanted to warn Noin to hurry up, to not  
  
stop along the way, to bring the young man to him as quickly as possible.  
  
He had heard some news that he wanted her to look in to.  
  
It was imperative that she come back.  
  
He needed her for this mission; he needed her now more than ever.  
  
It was essential that she discover the sliver of truth behind the rumor.  
  
If it was as he feared...  
  
If it was, then they needed to act with all haste.  
  
They needed to prevent the situation from coming about.  
  
She could not know about him.  
  
He could not see her.  
  
If they met it would be enough to change the course of the swiftly moving  
  
stars, already racing to their set positions in the heavens.  
  
If they met it would have repercussions so great as to dissolve the  
  
future, so great as to change the course of history.  
  
He did not know how the fates and their operatives worked, all he knew  
  
was what he wished for.  
  
He did not wish for them to meet.  
  
If they met...  
  
It would mean her death.  
  
Zechs could not allow that.  
  
His own blood ran through her veins.  
  
The same heart beat in both their chests.  
  
To kill her was to kill him.  
  
And Heero Yuy would not kill him.  
  
***  
  
Duo: ^_^  
  
Heero: ¬¬ ?  
  
Duo: ^_^  
  
Heero: -_-;  
  
Duo: ^__^  
  
Heero: ô_o  
  
Duo: ^______^  
  
Heero: O_o  
  
Duo: ^________________^  
  
Heero: O_O;;;  
  
...Sorry. I needed to get the silliness out of my system.  
  
Please please please review!  
  
Because this was so short(I think it was as long as the authors notes,  
  
but then I did write it in a day, so...), there will be another chapter up  
  
before the weekend is out. 


	19. November 3, Edoras

Disclaimer: I don't own it. If I did own it...Every fangirl's life would be a  
  
little more interesting. ^_~  
  
Random Authors Note: I've had scenes from that old movie popping into  
  
my head all day... That thing about those little fantasy creatures? About  
  
the crystal? There were these mice things and these llama things and  
  
these evil vulture things? What was it called... The Dark Crystal, I believe.  
  
I might be wrong. Anyway, scenes from it kept popping into my head...  
  
Tara: Oh, wow, thanks. That really brightened up my day. ^^  
  
Lisa: Well...I'm trying to get the details out in my mind, sorry. V.V;  
  
Ed: I had been prepared for that first little pet, but apparently Twist has  
  
more than one. Computer Virus snuck in my bedroom window and made  
  
it's way down to the study where it ate my computer.*sends dirty glare  
  
over towards Fate's house* I think I will stop putting up deadlines  
  
because that second little pet seems to take it as an invitation to invade  
  
my home. C.V. has also brought along it's little playmate Responsibilities.  
  
I have so many things to do by the 12th...*sighs*  
  
I've hit fifty reviews! Awesome!  
  
...It took me eighteen chapters, but still...  
  
***  
  
November 3, Edoras  
  
Sally woke to the sound of claws on glass.  
  
Opening her eyes, she saw that the first light of day had just finished  
  
peaking over the wall of the town and all was lit with a murky half light.  
  
Yawning, she brushed her dirty blonde hair out of her face and slid out of  
  
her bed, being careful not to wake to woman sleeping beside her.  
  
Shivering slightly in the cold morning air, she stepped on the the icy floor,  
  
wishing feverantly that it was summer.  
  
She walked to the window in her room, positioned in the wooden wall  
  
over a small desk, and not five feet from her bed.  
  
Opening it part way, she saw a dark gray bird, the color of storm clouds,  
  
with intelligent looking eyes and a message tied about it's leg.  
  
Her heart leapt.  
  
It was her Altron, the same bird she had sent down to the coast a mere  
  
four days ago.  
  
He had returned to her with a message. A letter from the coast. From her  
  
old friend.  
  
She stood in shock.  
  
It had been so long...  
  
An admonishing cry from the bird, high and shrill, causing the figure in the  
  
bed to stir brought her to her senses.  
  
Closing the window, she reached onto a shelf attached to the frame of  
  
the desk, grabbing a brown leather glove, and hurrying out of the room  
  
and the house.  
  
As she stepped outside, she was reminded of what a foolish thing it was  
  
to walk outside in the brisk autumn morning air in only a thin cotton  
  
nightdress.  
  
Laughing inwardly at her own stupidity, Sally hurried around to the back  
  
of her house, her breath misting in front of her as she walked, where she  
  
found Altron waiting for her, perched on top of the kennel already  
  
containing Tallgeese, no longer asleep, but awake and moving around  
  
inside it's cramped quarters.  
  
She bent down, peering in through the metal mesh and checking to see  
  
that the bird was hooded, before opening the door and letting the other  
  
inside, pulling the letter off of it's foot as it flew in.  
  
She grasped the note, holding it tightly in her left hand, the right was  
  
covered by the glove, then quickly locked up and ran back inside, out of  
  
the cold.  
  
Closing and latching the thick wooden door behind her, she walked back  
  
into her bedroom, where she sat on the bed, pulling the still-warm  
  
blanket about her legs.  
  
Sally unfolded her hand from the letter, then pulled off her glove, flinging  
  
it on the ground.  
  
She looked at it.  
  
The parchment was cream colored, rolled up tightly and kept closed with  
  
a melted wax seal.  
  
She smiled.  
  
It had been so long since her last letter from the coast. She had waited  
  
so long to hear from her friend. And now...  
  
Her fingers trailed to the seal, one nail slipping under and preparing to  
  
slide it away from the paper.  
  
Sally froze, staring at the unopened letter.  
  
She recognized the seal; a running horse with a bird flying overhead,  
  
bordered by a pattern like twisted rope.  
  
It was...  
  
She could not believe it.  
  
She would not believe it.  
  
But there it was, the red ink of the seal spreading on the parchment and  
  
starting to dye her fingers a deep crimson, the rough paper beneath her  
  
fingertips slightly crumpled from travel, the deep black ink almost seeping  
  
through the material.  
  
There it was.  
  
The letter was hers.  
  
The same one she had written less than a week ago, tied to Altron's leg,  
  
and sent off with him to the coast.  
  
She had gotten her hopes up so high, hoping that this would be the end  
  
of the silence, but now...  
  
Now they all came crashing down about her, their flimsy structures  
  
crumbling as the base gave way, and falling to the ground, shattering like  
  
thin shards of glass. A million pin pricks, cutting into her being, tearing her  
  
slowly and painfully apart.  
  
She couldn't believe it.  
  
Shaking hands held the paper.  
  
Blue eyes watched through blurred vision.  
  
This was it.  
  
It had been almost half a year.  
  
That was too long to go without a response.  
  
Far too long.  
  
The letter fell from her hands as she stood up, walked to the window,  
  
and looked out over a cool, grassy plane, seeing in her mind's eye the  
  
place she knew almost as well.  
  
A coastal land, one of stark contrasts.  
  
Cliffs and water, sand and sea, ocean and sky.  
  
Lost in the depths of her consciousness, she stood there until the taste  
  
of salt upon her lips became more than just a memory of sea air, and the  
  
vision before her disappeared, fading into darkness. 


	20. November 6, Lothlórien

Disclaimer: I own Duo in a past life! ^^ ...But not Gundam Wing. Say 'hi' to Duo!*holds up  
  
dog*  
  
Kat: .........................Thank you. Well...er...so long as you don't be a stalker, then..........er....  
  
Claire: Woo is a cool word, isn't it? Woo. Woo? WOO!  
  
Jaid Skywalker: Eep*scoots backwards* Scary! Yes, the world is weird. I know Cesia, and  
  
had to watch an unfolding Thatchel in my classes! As much as I like Thatchels, I didn't care to  
  
see this one. It was...weird. O_o;  
  
Ed: No, I think it was my fault...I was downloading a helluva lot of 1x2 pics the day before...I  
  
think I might have broken something in doing so...  
  
***  
  
November 6, Lothlórien  
  
Where the tall fair trees didn't block the sky, it was lit up with stars.  
  
Millions of shining white specks in an infinite sky.  
  
The city of Lothlórien had many homes built in the air, either on, or supported on trees.  
  
Their long twisting staircases fell far down to rest on the forest floor, many stories below.  
  
The trees of the forest grew high, their branches reaching up to scrape the clouds from the  
  
sky above; even seeming to seek to grasp the stars from their places in the zodiac.  
  
In the forest of Lórien, all was still, resting up and waiting for the coming day.  
  
It was a calm scene.  
  
The great city was little different.  
  
The murmurs of voices of many of the inhabitants drifted upwards, spiraling up among the  
  
roof tops and tree branches.  
  
They made their way up, to chime with the stars, passing by all who stood by, listening.  
  
A figure, clad in a long white nightdress, laughed softly to herself.  
  
She was standing on a balcony outside her private chambers, listening to snatches of music  
  
and voices below her, but more importantly, looking to the clouds.  
  
She stretched, flexing her back, arms and hands, much like the feline she had often been  
  
accused of impersonating.  
  
Her long blonde hair fell around her lower back in waves of platinum strands, glinting silver in  
  
the bright moon and star light.  
  
Her delicate hands held firm onto the railing preventing her from falling to the earth, her  
  
fingers gripping the pale bars and her hold tightening as her spirits rose.  
  
In an exuberant gesture, she threw her head back, putting her face to the heavens, and  
  
smiled at what she saw.  
  
In the patches of sky nestled between the branches and leaves directly overhead, she saw  
  
stars.  
  
Millions of white specks in an infinite sky.  
  
The candle resting on the white railing she leaned on flickered as a slight cool breeze blew  
  
through the busy Elven city.  
  
She turned to look down upon the people many feet below her.  
  
As she watched them, a smirk slipped out to tug at her lips.  
  
"Fools."  
  
***  
  
You know what I realized the other day? If I review every single one of my chapters, including this one, I will get my total number of reviews up to 79.  
  
No...must...resist...temtation!  
  
Please review for me? Please? 


	21. November 7, Minas Tirith

*long sigh* I dreamt that the next book of Dragon Knights came out, so I  
  
went to the store...and it wasn't there...T____T  
  
Kat: Wow, you review fast. O_o;;  
  
Claire: Ah, yes. Kat is an elf. I'm from Gondor. ^^ Hott people live in  
  
Gondor...*ahem* Sorry. I would explain stuff, but my little mind is just  
  
beginning to work things out in most places.  
  
Ed: Well, I watched Cowboy Bebop the other night. I have to say,  
  
watching a retarded evil french clown man get squished by a giant yellow  
  
robotic dog was one of the weirder things I've seen in a long while.  
  
Lisa: Wow, you scare me sometimes. But shopping was amusing. Lots of  
  
prom dresses... @_@ (Oh, and Meilan/Nataku.)  
  
Jaid Skywalker: Yes, see, it wouldn't have been too bad...but then it  
  
morphed into a RunexTintlett over night. O_o; And I quote, "He's turning  
  
into a little Alfeegi clone", in response to your question.  
  
***  
  
November 7, Minas Tirith  
  
Soft leather boots padded across the cobbled stone walkway.  
  
They suddenly stopped, their wearer intently listening, then they took  
  
another step forward and darted to the side, a young man slipping into a  
  
side street and crouching down behind a couple of empty wooden crates.  
  
"Trowa?" Another boy, perhaps a year younger, ran around a corner,  
  
appearing next to where his friend was hidden.  
  
"Trowa? I know you're here."  
  
He paused.  
  
"Somewhere," He added, stopping and looking around.  
  
Not three feet away from him, Trowa stiffened, sliding silently backwards  
  
into the shadows.  
  
Duo sighed.  
  
He brushed a wayward strand of his chocolate brown hair out of his eyes,  
  
and started walking again, a worried look on his face.  
  
"Trowa! Hey, Trowa! Come out!" He called, pausing for a second, then  
  
ran out onto a larger street, out of the shade of the smaller avenue, lined  
  
on both sides by dilapidated buildings and merchant's stores.  
  
In the alleyway as the sound of the other boy's footsteps was lost, Trowa  
  
relaxed visibly. He remained still for a minute after they had disappeared  
  
into the crowd outside before standing up.  
  
Once he did, he looked around, feeling as though he should be moving,  
  
but not knowing where to go.  
  
His head dropped forward onto his chest and he sighed, starting to walk  
  
forwards down the dead-end pathway he had been hiding in.  
  
It was dimly lit down there, with a fine layer of dirt on the ground and  
  
dust covering every visible surface.  
  
Finding a suitable corner, he slouched against a wall, slowly sliding to the  
  
floor.  
  
He leaned back, running a hand through his bangs, grimacing as he did  
  
so.  
  
Carelessly hitting the back of his head against the stone wall of the  
  
building behind him, he sat in the dirt and grime on the ground, not  
  
noticing or caring.  
  
A restless feeling burned deep inside him, urging him to do something,  
  
anything.  
  
Frustrated, he screamed silently inside his head.  
  
The result, a long anger-rent sound that no one heard.  
  
Still sitting there, he cast a tentative look around him, searching for  
  
something of use. Something to distract him, take his mind off the  
  
thoughts that had been slowly eating away at it.  
  
There was nothing, save cobwebs and dust in the alleyway. An upturned  
  
lantern lay a few feet away, and a scrap of dirty cloth was nestled in a  
  
particularly grimy looking corner.  
  
Closing his eyes, a deep sigh made it's way out of him, raising his  
  
shoulders, but not his spirits.  
  
He didn't want to be here.  
  
He didn't want to have his mind filled with the images that preoccupied  
  
him, that taunted him with fear and tantalized him with escape.  
  
Images newly seen, memories newly made, nightmares newly realized.  
  
He was trapped in a cycle of reliving horrors and guilt.  
  
He was lost.  
  
And he didn't particularly want to be found.  
  
***  
  
Ah, I think I jinxed myself. By laughing at Writers Block, he came...*cries*  
  
Anyway...Once I get the next few chapters out of the way he should  
  
leave. Until then, look for more looooong pauses between updates.  
  
Happy Spring Break! ^_______^  
  
And I finally got to see Inuyasha again! ^____________^  
  
Review? 


	22. Novmeber 9, EdorasRohan

Kat: Ah, craps. that was a long review. O_o; But yes, Dustin is a bit of a  
  
spaz...and telling him to shut up would get you no where. He'd just do  
  
that "Aren't we feeling a bit angry" line. -_-;;;  
  
Lisa: Well, thanks for the complement and the review. See you at school!  
  
Ed: Oh, okay. ^^ I thought maybe they were all that weird...(But then I  
  
said, hey! I remember one from a long time ago and it didn't seem nearly  
  
that strange! What's up with these new episodes, huh? ¬¬; Er...I don't  
  
think that made sense.) Cool, I want to see that other one! ^_^  
  
And*quickly pulls up internet window and clicks the mouse a few times*  
  
yes, I did get the review. Thanks! ^____^  
  
Wow, I am in a disturbingly good mood...  
  
Claire: Oh, sorry. You're a day late. Thanks, though! I think that  
  
might(hopefully) prevent him from coming back for a bit, however. Thank  
  
you! ^^  
  
***  
  
You know what?*leans in close* I have to tell you something*whispers* I  
  
got...BOOK 13 OF THE DRAGON KNIGHTS SERIES~~!!!!!!!!*tears of joy*  
  
And with that...*lifts book into the air* I ban you, Writer's Block! Be  
  
gone!*smashes Writer's Block out the window with paperback manga*  
  
And STAY out!  
  
***  
  
November 9, Edoras/Rohan  
  
"Are you sure you must leave? You only just arrived."  
  
Noin looked up at her friend from her position kneeling on the wooden  
  
floor. She was gathering up the remnants of her supplies and items,  
  
packing them all away in a small cotton sack, about a foot high and a light  
  
beige with ties at the top to keep it securely closed and prevent its  
  
contents from falling out. She was wearing the same light long sleeved  
  
tunic and loose black pants that she had been wearing when she arrived  
  
in the town, but was missing the deeply colored cloak.  
  
"Yes, I feel I must," She turned her attention back to packing, checking  
  
over everything and making sure it was all stored away.  
  
"I have stayed too long already. Zechs will be worried," She said, a grin  
  
playing over her face.  
  
"I told him it wouldn't take too long; I forgot to account for time spent  
  
here. I must be on my way."  
  
She stood up, brushing her dark bangs out of her eyes and stooping  
  
briefly to collect her coat and sword, both resting on a nearby table.  
  
"I know."  
  
Sally smiled, ruefully, "I'd be stupid to think you could stay longer."  
  
She knelt, helping her friend securely fasten on her deadly blade to it's  
  
swinging scabbard on her hip.  
  
"There," She stood as her friend pulled on her traveling cloak and swung  
  
her pack over her right shoulder.  
  
"You're all ready. I assume Wufei is too?"  
  
"I am what?" The man in question strode into the room, confidence  
  
dripping off all his features.  
  
"Are we leaving now?" He asked, adjusting the sword at his waist and  
  
the short sleeve of his blue-grey tunic.  
  
"Just about."  
  
Noin turned to fully face her old friend.  
  
"I hope to see you soon."  
  
"Same here," Sally replied, embracing her, "Come back and visit anytime  
  
you are traveling through this area. You're always welcome."  
  
Wufei snorted.  
  
"I thought you wanted an early start? Hurry up, you can say your  
  
goodbyes as we walk."  
  
Noin sent Sally a look clearly meaning 'men', then rolled her eyes as her  
  
friend shrugged her shoulders and headed for the door.  
  
Opening it, they entered the main room of Sally's house and continued  
  
out, Wufei stopping briefly to reach down and pick up his satchel from  
  
where he had left it on the floor. Once they were outside, Sally quickly  
  
headed around to the back of her house, pulling open the stable doors  
  
and emerging a moment later, two black horses following her.  
  
Wufei saddled up in silence, ignoring the talking of the two women next  
  
to him as they prepared the other horse. It wasn't long before he was  
  
seated impatiently atop his equally impatient mount, waiting for his  
  
traveling partner to be ready to leave.  
  
"Goodbye, I'll come by and visit the next time I am on a mission here,"  
  
Noin promised, mounting her jet black steed at last.  
  
"I'll hold you to that," The other woman with honey blonde hair said,  
  
winking at her and waving as the two horses started off in a trot,  
  
heading down the main street of Edoras.  
  
"Goodbye, Noin, Wufei!" Sally called, smiling as her friend turned around  
  
in the saddle to wave back.  
  
Riding down through the city, Wufei watched as the houses grew more  
  
dilapidated and run down as they neared the more densely populated  
  
areas near the main gates.  
  
"It took you long enough," He muttered under his breath.  
  
Noin heard and glared at him.  
  
"She's my good friend, Wufei. I couldn't leave without talking to her, much  
  
less saying goodbye."  
  
When he ignored her indignant comment, she returned the favor, ignoring  
  
him and instead watching the town slowly become alive as people set  
  
about their daily lives.  
  
It wasn't long before they reached the large wooden gates at the  
  
entrance of the mighty city. As the doors slowly opened, Wufei waited  
  
impatiently on his mount, staring impassively around him.  
  
He blinked suddenly, doing a double take.  
  
Admidst the sea of people, all looking somewhat alike; peasants, mostly,  
  
all in work clothes and with golden blonde hair, stood one person who  
  
was...different.  
  
As Wufei watched, the man turned around, dark hair falling in his face.  
  
Amber brown and icy blue eyes locked.  
  
"Mr. Chang."  
  
He turned around, startled, when the woman he was traveling with  
  
spoke and elbowed him in the side.  
  
"Come on."  
  
She nudged her horse into a trot and set out through the open gate as  
  
he cast a last glance over his shoulder, then hurried after her.  
  
The dark haired man had disappeared.  
  
***  
  
It was about three hours later in the day when they saw the bird.  
  
It wheeled by overhead in a great majestic show of silver-tinted feathers  
  
and broad wings.  
  
As it passed them by, Noin stopped, pulling back on the leather reins of  
  
her horse and watched as it passed, seeming to expect something.  
  
Wufei watched with great interest as she became worried after the  
  
creature flew out of sight.  
  
"Wufei?" Noin asked, a hint of worry in her otherwise unshaken voice,  
  
"Where would you saw that bird was headed?"  
  
He looked to the sky.  
  
"I'd say the northeast."  
  
"I knew it," He caught her mutter under her breath before turning around  
  
in the saddle to face him.  
  
"Hurry up. Something's wrong at home."  
  
***  
  
Authoress: *laughs madly like a mad person at the confusion of the plot  
  
line forming in her little brain*  
  
Writer's Block: X_x  
  
Authoress: Please Review! ^^*squishes W. B.'s skull with heel of boot*  
  
Writer's Block: *twitches* x_X  
  
Oh, and this has no relevance to reviewing or this story, but if you read  
  
Dragon Knights and have some extra time, I just started a new fic under  
  
that category(Dragon Knights, that is.). If you feel like reading it, then  
  
either go check my info or simply find it under Dragon Knights, general.  
  
It's called "Fame and Fortune", by the way. If you want the summary,  
  
either go find my extended/rambling version in my info, or go find the  
  
story and read it from there.  
  
Thanks!! 


	23. November 19, Mirkwood

Before you read this chapter, you might want to note that I got deadly  
  
bored and sped up time a bit... Not a whole lot, just by ten days. I'm  
  
mainly trying to make it through to April... *eyes glaze over at the glory of  
  
what she was planned*  
  
Authoress: *hums and ponders about a GWing/DK crossover*  
  
Muse-San: *hits her over the head* No. ¬¬;  
  
Thanks for reviewing...  
  
Kat: Holy mother of pearl.  
  
That was a long one. O_o;;  
  
Right.*cracks knukles and begins typing* Poor Kat; Yes, I thank  
  
you...Very much so, actually; Thank you for that LOVELY mental  
  
image...Ick*imagines a plot bunny embreo and makes face*; Look  
  
down*points* Mirkwood; Thanks; I hope to, yes; Now I did. Since you  
  
sent it again, I mean; Ok; Yum. Yes he is. ^^ And so is Thats. And  
  
possesed Rune; Of course it is. "What did she promise you, Rath?"*falls  
  
over laughing*; I don't wonder...; *sweatdrop*; ...I don't want to know.  
  
Seriously. I don't; And again, thank you.  
  
Claire: You know...You review a lot. Seriously!*hugs* ^^ Here...I have  
  
this huge lollypop...*gives a six inch tall and wide lollypop from Disney  
  
World* Merry Christmas!  
  
Lisa: You review a lot too!*hugs* I can give you something also...  
  
Hmm...*snaps fingers* Here!*gives Hee-san's tank top* Mmm...Shirt! I  
  
should give something to Kat too, huh...*sweatdrop* Ah...Kat!*gives  
  
section of a demon newspaper about Nadil's revival and a good quality  
  
cut of human flesh wrapped in newsprint*  
  
***  
  
November 19, Mirkwood  
  
Quatre walked down the winding path in the forest of Mirkwood, not  
  
fearing the huge trees towering over him or the shadows leaping out  
  
from every corner.  
  
His quiver slung over his shoulder and a bow was held loosely in his  
  
hand. He wore a deep brown leather vest over his light cream tunic. The  
  
material fluttered as he walked, it's long loose sleeves waving as he  
  
strode through the woods.  
  
He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, instead he was far off in  
  
the reaches of his mind, thinking about the city Midii had mentioned and  
  
the people who lived there.  
  
Shades of green and brown lined both sides of the path, tall trees  
  
compleatly blocking out the sky and creating a half-light on the forest  
  
floor, as though it was dusk instead of early afternoon.  
  
The poor lighing caused the elf to look even fairer than normal, his skin  
  
appearing pale against the dark background surrounding him.  
  
He walked down the path without paying attention, he knew the route by  
  
memory; it wasn't far from his home to a large clearing in the center of  
  
the forest, only a half hour's walk on a nice day.  
  
Still lost in thought about Midii and her city, he barely noticed when he  
  
reached the halfway mark; a tall oak tree, older than most of the other  
  
trees lining the path and incredibly twisted. It's growth had been stunted  
  
by some spontanious act of mother nature, causing it to grow to only  
  
seven feet in hight.  
  
As he passed by it's knotted trunk, moss growing up it's sides and  
  
spreading branches reaching out from it, he thrust his memory of that day  
  
his little sister first made contact through her dream to the front of his  
  
mind, reliving all the moments and finetuning the details.  
  
He was curious about it.  
  
He wanted to know more, but she claimed that was all she has seen.  
  
As he walked, he saw in his mind's eye a young elven girl, long blonde  
  
hair streaming down her shoulders, sunlight glinting off her forest green  
  
dress and shining in her golden hair.  
  
She stepped out of the shadows of his vision, one hand by her side, the  
  
other clutching a silverly chain hanging around her neck in a nervous  
  
gesture.  
  
She spoke, "I'm Midii. Midii Une."  
  
After her intruduction, she stood still for a moment, before droping her  
  
hand from her collar and taking a step forward.  
  
She took a breath as if to say more, then flickered, and disappeared from  
  
sight, vanishing into the mist.  
  
This scene replayed itself numerous times in the young man's head, each  
  
time as clear as the first, but never giving him any more insight into it's  
  
hidden mysteries.  
  
"Midii," He sighed under his breath, shaking his head in wonder.  
  
She had spoken to a distant young man without a name.  
  
He was to them, nameless.  
  
No-name.  
  
Úesse.  
  
Her story had piqued his curiousity, and although he would not admit it to  
  
her, nor to anyone else, her vision was the main reason he was training.  
  
He wanted the chance to travel beyond his country's borders.  
  
He wanted to see new things, to experiance something different.  
  
And most of all...  
  
He wanted to meet him.  
  
The nameless man from his half-sister's dream.  
  
***  
  
Úesse: No-name, nameless  
  
Please review as I live off your responses.  
  
Really.  
  
I do.  
  
So don't deprive me of my source of joy.  
  
Review. 


	24. November 20, Minas Tirith and Mirkwood

(A/N: REALLY sorry about the lack of updates. It's not that I've forgotten  
  
this fic, just that I've been distracted by another brain wave on the  
  
Dragon Knights front. I actually got stuck on this chapter for the longest  
  
time, then suddenly wrote most of this last night. I hope you like it.)  
  
Kat: Thanks for your review and your ramblings over AIM. And the  
  
meat...Zoma thought you would like it.  
  
Ed: Ooh! I love it when they do that! All nice and happy and funny... then  
  
it gets darker... and darker...*evil cackling laughter*  
  
Midii Une: *laughs like the mad person which she is*Oooh! Fireworks!  
  
Jaid Skywalker: *points at Barnes and Nobles and laughs* Hah! I go to  
  
Waldenbooks!  
  
Hmm. Rats. I don't have a rat. I have a dog. She's supposed to kill the  
  
rats, but she doesn't. Chases the pigeons instead.*watches as dog takes  
  
off like a shot after stupid birds trying to steal her dog food and promptly  
  
smashes into a screen door* Eh...*sweatdrop*  
  
Claire: Glad you like it. ^^ And thanks for the joy!  
  
Daemaethor: I'm trying to get a shout out to you, but don't know which of  
  
my stories you are reading. So I put up a message on both of them.  
  
Pretty much what I wanted to say was thanks! ^^  
  
***  
  
November 20, Minas Tirith/Mirkwood  
  
The disappearing sun vanished from sight, in it's stead rising a small  
  
waning silver moon, a minute and fine crescent, almost completely  
  
swallowed up by it's black surroundings.  
  
It cast a silvery shimmer over the mountains and fields, casting away  
  
shadows and driving away fears.  
  
As the moon rose steadily into the sky numerous stars also peeked out of  
  
the night, their multitude adding to the already bright silver glow in the  
  
early night sky.  
  
If one was to stand on that curved bow of the moon, surrounded by the  
  
celestial beings of the night and looking down upon the land far below, all  
  
would be still.  
  
It was as if a spell had been cast over the land, a vast sleeping cloak  
  
enveloping all it touched and turning the busy land of the day into the  
  
peaceful vision which was shown to the night.  
  
Then, admidst the calm and quiet, a tiny flicker of movement in a vast  
  
white city caught the attention of the night.  
  
A figure was awake, walking about in the dark, ignoring the spell of sleep  
  
that had been conjured and set over the land on which he tread.  
  
***  
  
Like an illusion slow to fade from the dream in which it was roused, Trowa  
  
paced back and forth, unaware of the watching eyes of the night and far  
  
from the prying eyes of the day.  
  
Although he would vehemently deny it, one might say he was hiding.  
  
He was, at any rate, away from the warmth of his home and bed.  
  
Whether this qualified as hiding or not was up to the viewer to decide.  
  
And the dark was inconsistent with it's portrayal of the people who loved  
  
it and lived in it.  
  
They were portrayed one moment as a devious villain, planning evil under  
  
the obscuring cloak of the night, the next as a harmless character, a  
  
helpful watcher of the stars.  
  
The same was true for the way it saw and showed the young man  
  
standing in it's midst.  
  
The shadows first threw into relief the angles of his face, making it seem  
  
even more downtrodden and sunken than it was normally, only to  
  
abandon that position and create for him a cape of invisibility the next,  
  
securely hiding him away beneath the warm and welcoming arms of the  
  
starlit night.  
  
The dancing shadows and creatures of dark, however, could not stifle or  
  
distort his voice.  
  
Quiet almost to the point of nonexistence, Trowa spoke, his whisper  
  
magnified and echoing in the stillness surrounding him.  
  
"I don't--"  
  
He stopped, realizing the volume of his words.  
  
He had forgotten the intensity with which a solitary man could speak.  
  
Forgotten that when no others spoke, a single voice could wake  
  
thousands from the restful sleep bestowed upon them by the hard work  
  
of day.  
  
Forgotten that he had no wish for that to happen.  
  
He spoke once again, his voice lowered even further. So low that the  
  
murmurs of the stars secure and snug in their constellation homes almost  
  
drowned him out with their ceaseless chatter.  
  
But the shadows heard and the night heard.  
  
"I don't want to be here."  
  
It was no more than a single pain-filled drop in a rainstorm, no more than  
  
an abandoned grain of sand on an infinitely large desert.  
  
But it was spoken.  
  
Once words leave the mouth of the speaker, they cannot be snatched  
  
back, quieted and calmed. They are free to go upon their way, regardless  
  
of the havoc that they may bring.  
  
Regardless of the havoc that words left unspoken may in turn unleash.  
  
And so it was.  
  
He had spoken; had whispered into the deafening still of the night the  
  
words echoing in his mind.  
  
He had voiced his wish, a desperate lonely wish.  
  
He had spoken, and the havoc followed.  
  
***  
  
In a land far from where a young soldier of Gondor roamed aimlessly, a  
  
girl stirred.  
  
The stars over her home craned their heads, trying desperately to see  
  
past the leafy trees obscuring their vision and through the roof over her  
  
head to the figure lying in bed.  
  
She blinked her eyes open, two large blue orbs, as gray as the sky at  
  
dusk or the clouds before a downpour.  
  
Her hair fell down around her shoulders as she lay in her large bed,  
  
surrounded by sheets appearing as a dull white to the mask of night.  
  
The shadows in her room whispered these details to the stars above and  
  
to their mistress of peaceful dark in a rustling language she did not  
  
understand or recognize.  
  
Trying unsuccessfully to shake off the remnants of sleep and keep a hold  
  
on an evasive dream just out of her reach, she brushed a strand of  
  
blonde hair out of her face, it's fingers falling down to trail past a pointed  
  
elven ear before falling soundlessly onto her pillow.  
  
Soundlessly...  
  
As suddenly as the power of sleep over took her once again, gently  
  
lurring her conscious mind off to a land of unknown powers and rulers,  
  
she abrubtly remembered.  
  
She remembered it all.  
  
Her dream, the voice, the boy.  
  
With her last breath before closing her eyes for the last time until the sun  
  
was once again ruling over it's domain of the day, Midii spoke.  
  
She voiced a name, it's final syllable barely leaving the caress of her lips  
  
before her eyes slid shut and her breathing slowed.  
  
The name of the boy from her dream.  
  
She spoke.  
  
And she smiled.  
  
And the shadows whispered their news to the watchful eyes of the  
  
brightly lit heavens.  
  
And then, when the girl was fast asleep in a deep and dreamless daze,  
  
and the last shining star had been informed of what had happened, the  
  
shadows hidden away in the corners of the world laughed to themselves.  
  
For they had received word from the greater powers in this life, powers  
  
who were even more hidden than the watchful eyes of the dark; powers  
  
who were pulling on the loosely tied strings of fate and chance, letting  
  
mischief roam about as it wished, if just for one night.  
  
And so, with one dream and the spoken word, havoc was unleashed.  
  
***  
  
The moon slipped behind a cloud, the watchful eyes of the stars were  
  
obscured for a moment by a light gray mass slowly drifting by. When the  
  
cloud had disappeared and the night shone through once again, all was  
  
still on the land far below.  
  
No boy walked in the dark.  
  
No girl stirred in her sleep.  
  
All was still.  
  
And Havoc, although having been released into the relative calm of the  
  
lives of two young people and all who knew them, was taking it's time.  
  
It was in no hurry.  
  
And the night saw.  
  
And the shadows laughed.  
  
***  
  
There!  
  
¡Finé!  
  
Review, please?*puppy eyes* 


	25. November 22, Edoras

Kat: ^^ I vole you. Hope you had fun at camp!  
  
Daemaethor: No prob. Lurking is ok, I believe you are the third person I   
  
pulled that notice on to make them review...*nervous laughter* Thanks!  
  
Claire: *reddens* Thank you.  
  
Jaid Skywalker: Yes, dogs... Weird, no? Did you ever get book 13? If so,   
  
don't you love that last bit with Rath?*giggles*  
  
Ed: Ok, then, thanks! I'm highly impatient, so I thought I should put up   
  
the little apology to avoid getting fried by flamers. O_X  
  
Disclaimer: Whoa, I've been forgetting this, I think. Whoops. Well, sadly, I   
  
still do not own Gundam Wing. I don't own much more than a doodled in   
  
planner, actually. Sniff... I'm now reading To Kill a Mockingbird in English,   
  
and I think some of that leaked over into this piece. Much like what   
  
happened with Julius Caesar. ^^;  
  
***  
  
November 22, Edoras  
  
The sky was a clear blue, not a cloud in sight except for at the very edges   
  
of the mountains to the east far away. And even there they were light   
  
and seemed no more substantial than a wisp of dandelion fluff tossed   
  
about in the air by a gust of wind. A thick haze seemed to have settled   
  
over the town, all things seen through it appeared blurry and it was   
  
almost possible to see the steam rising slowly off the ground as bread   
  
rose from a heated pan. Gnats buzzed along the ground and through the   
  
air, flying no higher than the roofs of nearby homes.   
  
People themselves were slow moving and either grudgingly working or   
  
attempting to avoid having to do so.  
  
There was no moisture in the air; all wetness had long since evaporated.  
  
It was a hot late summers day and Sally stood outside her house.   
  
There was, for once, not a breeze to ruffle her dirty blonde and braided   
  
hair hanging in two bunches over her shoulders or to play and tug at her   
  
deep green skirts like a living creature in jest.  
  
The sun beamed down; it was warm for this time of year, the brief cold   
  
spell they had seemed to have vanished with the leaving of her guests, a   
  
hot front filling the vacuum it left behind.  
  
She turned her head upwards, one hand shading her eyes from the harsh   
  
glare of the midday sun as it beat down upon the land.  
  
It was clear, warm, calm.  
  
She wished it wasn't.  
  
Resigning herself to her fate, she headed slowly around her house to her   
  
stables in the back.  
  
As she crossed over dry and yellow grass, she remembered how green   
  
and lush it was during the earlier months of the year; how it had grown   
  
so high in places that it was a nuisance. Now it was falling down limply   
  
under the heat of the day, and she, in her long dark skirt and wrist-length   
  
sleeves, sympathized with it.  
  
Reaching her destination, she strode the last few steps to the large cage   
  
on the side of the stable, the weak shadow it cast under the sun in the   
  
middle of the sky the only patch of shade on this side of her property.  
  
Sally pulled back her sleeve on her right hand, placing the worn leather   
  
glove she had carried out of her house onto it and brushed a loose   
  
strand of sticky blonde hair out of her face. Then, quickly, before she   
  
changed her mind, she pulled open the door on the cage, reaching inside   
  
and managing to settle a large and silver bird on her forearm.  
  
As she closed the door after she pulled out both the creature and her   
  
arm, the remaining bird, unhooded, shot her an almost quizzical look.   
  
She stepped back towards the main building of her house.  
  
She took a deep breath, stole a last admiring look, and removed the   
  
feathered messenger's leather hood.  
  
Two large golden eyes blinked at her in the sudden light of day, harsh   
  
black slits in their center contracting in the transition from the dim hood to   
  
the bright daylight. Silver-gray feathers ruffled along the lean body as   
  
powerful muscles tensed in anticipation.   
  
Suddenly and without warning, the bird spread it's wings to their full span   
  
and took to the air, flying up into the sky and to the northeast without a   
  
backwards glance.  
  
She shaded her eyes once again from the sun, watching it go.  
  
A hot, dry silence lay over the land.   
  
The only audible sound was her steady breathing in the overpowering   
  
heat of the day.  
  
"That was," She struggled for the right words, breaking the quiet,   
  
"Completely unremarkable. But what did I expect?"  
  
A wry smile passed over her face, words unspoken laughing at her   
  
temporary naivety, then vanished.  
  
She removed the leather glove and turned to go.  
  
She knew she had to release the bird. It obviously belonged to someone;   
  
a specimen of such majesty had never existed in the wild, and it wasn't   
  
her place to keep it.   
  
Besides, it didn't seem to like her much, she laughed.  
  
And she did have her own messenger, one who didn't begrudge her the   
  
pleasure of touching it, either.  
  
Today had been the perfect day to do so; all days previous had been   
  
windy, stormy, cold.  
  
The polar opposite of this warm midmorning.  
  
Today was the hottest it had been in a long while.  
  
In fact, it might have been the sun, it's rays caused all it touched, even   
  
indirectly, to relax and slow.   
  
Perhaps it was the intense heat which dulled her senses.  
  
Or maybe she just was not expecting anything of that sort to happen,   
  
especially not on an overheated and lazy day such as this.  
  
Whatever it was, she was still walking towards the doorway to her home,   
  
when a young man, a couple years younger than her by his appearance,   
  
stepped out of the few shadows remaining around her house, an   
  
unsheathed blade in his hand.  
  
He spoke in a slightly accented voice and had bottomless prussian eyes   
  
speckled with polished silver as deadly as the glinting broadsword he   
  
held. The pointed tip of his weapon reflected the sun back ominously in   
  
the half light in which he stood in.  
  
"I'm warning you," He said, cutting to the quick without preamble.   
  
He took a step forward, his sword still pointing to the ground, then spoke   
  
once more, his almost nasal voice mingling with the sound of blood   
  
pounding through her body filled her ears.  
  
How do you know him."  
  
***  
  
Tall wooden doors hidden behind three majestic and intricately carved   
  
arches; soaring pillars of hard wood and gold, rested upon a base of   
  
stone blocks. Steps carved into this sturdy base crept from the dirt and   
  
grass to the stone platform. A great hall rested on top of this thick base.   
  
A huge compass, as golden as the sun, with spurts of light and flame   
  
jutting off of it was engraved above the doors, high on the front wall,   
  
directly beneath the arching ceiling.   
  
Below it, standing on the stone beneath the golden and amber arches, a   
  
young girl stood, caramel hair hanging limply down her back, and her fair   
  
face tilted towards the ground.  
  
It was hot; her long dress clung uncomfortably to her skin, serving to   
  
make her even warmer than she already was. It's maroon material was   
  
dark enough to soak up added warmth from the sun, even though she   
  
was standing in the shade.  
  
It had been almost a month since she had last seen the dark haired boy;   
  
he stood out, but seemed to do a great job of blending in.   
  
No one else seemed to know of his existence.   
  
Mind, she hadn't mentioned him to anyone.  
  
Selfish though it seemed, she secretly enjoyed the idea of keeping him to   
  
herself. Keeping him hers; a prize all her own. It was foolish, however.   
  
Mainly since she didn't know who he was.  
  
Or where he was, for that matter.  
  
The deep rumble of male voices caught her straying attention.  
  
Father.  
  
He was inside the Great Hall, sitting in on yet another meeting.   
  
That seemed to be all he did recently.   
  
Sit and talk.   
  
And listen.  
  
But never to her.  
  
***  
  
"I'm warning you. How do you know him?" Heero's voice seemed to   
  
shatter the thick air much like his blade and a block of sticky molasses.   
  
The cut was smooth and the passage thick; the very air seemed tense   
  
with the friction.  
  
"I'm sorry?"   
  
He was surprised at how she kept her cool. He had expected her to run,   
  
or at the very least scream. Yet she took another step towards him, her   
  
face relaxed, but her body, he noticed, was tense and prepared for   
  
action.   
  
What she expected to do in her heavy dress he didn't know.  
  
"How do I know who?" She asked again.  
  
Deep blue eyes narrowed, a flash of metal and the sword was at a right   
  
angle to his body.  
  
"You know who I'm talking about. I saw him," He added in, almost as an   
  
after thought, "Tallgeese."  
  
Sally stopped herself from doing a double take.   
  
Whatever she had been expecting certainly was not this.  
  
"The bird?" She asked, incredulous.  
  
He sent her a deadly look, managing to convey the image of the worst   
  
death imaginable in his eyes.  
  
"No. The bird belongs to him."   
  
He said the next words as if they were a foul tasting substance, forming   
  
his mouth around them, then letting them fall freely to smash into pieces   
  
against the ground.  
  
"Zechs Marquise."  
  
***  
  
Lind' giggled behind her hand, her short sunkissed locks pulled back out   
  
of her face.  
  
"I know! How can they stand it?" She asked no one in particular, her   
  
three friends shaking their heads back to her, looks of disapproval and   
  
amusement on their faces.  
  
"It's horrid."   
  
Lissi crossed her arms, the shimmery material on them sliding and   
  
pushing up one of her sleeves a fraction of an inch, allowing a slimmer of   
  
pale skin on her arm to show. She pulled it back down, both her arms   
  
completely covered again.  
  
"How can they live like that?"  
  
Girlish laughter in the air, a long haired girl snickered, "Maybe they like it."  
  
All four laughed, even Lissi abandoned her disgusted look for a moment in   
  
favor of a teasing smile.  
  
"We probably shouldn't be doing this," Linte giggled, covering her mouth   
  
with a smooth hand.  
  
"You're right, we shouldn't," Lissi agreed.  
  
"But we are anyway!" Lind' chimed in, sending them all into fits of   
  
laughter once again.  
  
***  
  
"Zechs?" Sally looked puzzled, "Zechs Marquise," She repeated, scouring   
  
her memory for the origin of that name. It seemed... Familiar, but why,   
  
she could not say.  
  
"I'm sorry," She said at last, "I can't seem to remember.   
  
His eyes narrowed further, and he took another step out of the shadows,   
  
towards her.  
  
She did a quick assessment of him, glancing up and down his body. He   
  
was shorter than her by six inches, maybe, with dark brown hair and   
  
colbat blue eyes. He had fair skin, and though obviously a human, he   
  
seemed to be from the north. Or at least, that's where his ancestors   
  
were from. He was muscled, not obviously so, but if one looked it was   
  
apparent. The slight sheen of sweat from the high temperature was   
  
glowing on his skin. He didn't seem like he could be much more than   
  
sixteen, eighteen at the most, but held a certain... Maturity about him,   
  
much like the elves who lived far beyond the normal life of man.  
  
He seemed almost ageless, because of that fact.   
  
Ageless, and with a sword, it's tip aiming for her breast.  
  
"Zechs," She repeated once again, not too worried about the stranger in   
  
her yard. She could tell a bluff when she saw one.  
  
"Zechs Marquise," It was defiantly familiar, but... Her eyebrows raised.  
  
Oh yes.   
  
That Zechs Marquise.  
  
***  
  
Weird. I actually know what I'm doing with this fic once again. O_o I'd lost   
  
my plot for a bit there(luckily, I have a time line written down in my   
  
planner or I'd be completely lost), but I seem to have refound it. W.B.   
  
has...vanished. Weird... O_o;  
  
***  
  
I'll buy it if it does a dance for me.  
  
I'll write more if you review for me. 


	26. November 24, Minas Tirith

:looks around: WHAT THE HELL IS MAKING THAT BEEPING  
  
NOISE?!:freaking out:  
  
...Sorry.  
  
Kat: Thanks for posting that last chapter for me!! And sorry, but this isn't  
  
a Mirkwood chapter. See you... Kinda soon!(And you are actually here  
  
with me... but...)  
  
Ed: OO Go Ein. Yes, I admit it. I'm doing it on purpose. V.V It's fun... But  
  
ok. This chapter will be free of suspense! ...Or as free as I can get it.  
  
Claire: :gives cookie: DANCE LIKE A MAD WOMAN!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I≠owner of Gundam Wing and the Lord of the Rings  
  
November 24, Minas Tirith  
  
:::  
  
It was a hot and still moonless night, clouds just beginning to waft over  
  
from the east, a humid breeze pushing them across the night sky.  
  
It was a night very different from one a mere four days ago.  
  
Different... And yet strangely similar.  
  
"Solo?" Cathy stopped running, her light brown hair hanging limply in the  
  
sudden intense heat that had swept over their country.  
  
Thin cream skirts brushed against the backs of her legs as they kept  
  
moving for a moment after she stopped.  
  
She muttered a harsh curse to the humidity and heat under her breath,  
  
reaching up with her right hand and wiping a bead of perspiration from  
  
her forehead.  
  
Catherine looked around her, her vision knocking on the darkened door of  
  
the night, pleading for per mission to enter.  
  
Her auburn brown hair hung in limp ringlets around white-clad shoulders.  
  
A long silken nightdress covered her body, drifting down past her legs to  
  
play about her ankles and bare feet.  
  
She was standing on the sixth level of the great fortress called Minas  
  
Tirith, looking about her, peering into the dim shadows cast by buildings  
  
and stalls.  
  
"Solo?" She called again, softly padding down the hard road near the  
  
main per mission to enter to the city.  
  
"Solo, where did you go?"  
  
She wrapped her arms around her slim body, not from cold, but from  
  
instinct. It was a dark night and she was wandering through the  
  
shadows and dimly lit streets all alone, with no one to distract her from  
  
the eerie sensation of shining red eyes watching her from the corners of  
  
the darkness.  
  
A shiver ran down her back, a strange sensation since she was still  
  
sweating from the heat.  
  
"Solo?" She repeated, much softer this time, standing still, a white-clad  
  
figure in the center of a large cobblestone street, pale moonlight dancing  
  
across her auburn locks.  
  
A sudden rustle of clothing caught her attention, and as she turned to  
  
look in the direction of the noise, a tall dark haired boy walked around a  
  
corner, coming to a stop directly in front of her.  
  
"Oh, good," She let out a sigh of breath, extremely relieved. About to say  
  
more, her sense of pride kicked into action, reminding her that Catherine  
  
Barton was not fearful of wandering through the darkness without a  
  
companion or light.  
  
"You idiot," She scolded, taking a step towards him, "I thought you said  
  
you had something to show me?"  
  
He nodded, grinning, his white teeth glinting as the clear starlight passed  
  
over them.  
  
"Yeah. I was just making sure she was still there. Come on, Cathy."  
  
A large warm hand, slightly roughened from work and fighting grasped  
  
her smaller one tightly, tugging her after him.  
  
"Where are we going? And what do you mean?"  
  
He gave no audible response, simply glancing over his shoulder at her  
  
and motioning her to silence.  
  
"Solo!" She gave an exasperated sigh, but lowered her voice just the  
  
same, "Who is it?"  
  
He suddenly pulled her to a halt.  
  
"Shh, Cathy. Quiet."  
  
They were standing next to a tall stone building, one that was long  
  
deserted but that used to house civilians behind it's think walls.  
  
Catherine bit back a question, holding it's pressing tension tightly behind  
  
closed lips.  
  
Solo motioned for her to follow him as he let go of her hand and slipped  
  
silently around the corner, dark clothing effectively hiding him in the dimly  
  
lit night.  
  
Confusion written over her brow, Cathy followed him, white nightdress  
  
rustling as it brushed over her body.  
  
"Huh?" The word was softer than the sound of the solitary ash-gray  
  
shadow slipping past above them.  
  
She stepped around the corner and her eyes widened.  
  
Directly in front of her was a small secluded grassy area, one that she  
  
vaguely remembered from days long past. Memories of light skirts sliding  
  
over small bodies lost deep in play, of shining daylight, and of nights  
  
brightened with innumerable stars fluttered through her mind.  
  
A low stone wall, forgotten by the majority of the population and the  
  
sands of time stood in front of them. Beyond it was a small grassy mound,  
  
green plants flourishing there, admix the rubble of a lost building and the  
  
calm of an unblocked view to the sky.  
  
Blue eyes shifted in a deep mixture of remembrance and confusion.  
  
Directly in front of her was a young girl, face to the heavens.  
  
"Solo?" She whispered, careful not to alert the other younger female to  
  
her presence.  
  
She knelt on the ground next to her companion.  
  
"What... Is she doing?"  
  
He raised a long hand, quietly pleading with her to be still.  
  
In the small field, the figure stirred, slowly taking two steps forward,  
  
away from the people behind her.  
  
Catherine's eyes bore into her back.  
  
There was something familiar about her...  
  
The girl wasn't that young, she suddenly realized, just petite. She could  
  
only be a year or two younger then her. Her slim figure was clad in a  
  
deep blue dress, her short black hair brushing against the velvet  
  
material covering her shoulders.  
  
Solo tensed as she started to turn, pushing both himself and the young  
  
woman with him to the ground.  
  
The girl didn't see them, didn't fully turn around until they were both  
  
hidden behind the stone wall, but was herself seen.  
  
Clear blue eyes, tinted with a slight shading of gray allowed a flash of  
  
astonishment to streak across them as they alighted on a pair of large  
  
navy ones, the light of a silent wish enveloped deep within their clear  
  
glossy coverings.  
  
Cathy stared at Solo, a name forming on her lips.  
  
He nodded.  
  
The brown haired girl stared at him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
He grinned, placing a finger to his lips as his ears picked up on the sound  
  
of the girl walking farther away from them, further out into the drifting  
  
field of grass and small yellow flowers, each one a single delicate star,  
  
lying in rest on the soft ground.  
  
As she moved further away, he spoke in a soft fast whisper.  
  
"Yes, it's Hilde. Why? I don't know; not exactly. Not yet. That's why we're  
  
here. That's why I brought you here."  
  
There was a long and pregnant pause before he spoke again.  
  
"I think I'm about to win our bet."  
  
A soft hand flew to a rosebud mouth, the shock of hearing words spoken  
  
out loud overcoming the fact that Cathy had been anticipating something  
  
like this since being woken up to a gentle tapping on her window by the  
  
young man next to her.  
  
A shiver of movement ran through the rooftops overhead, the lanterns of  
  
the heavens illuminating the human shaped shadows below.  
  
As both older teenagers shifted positions behind the wall, the younger  
  
one standing just beyond it crossed her arms, wrapping them around her  
  
body, and turned her elven face upwards once again.  
  
An invisible sigh flew towards the sky, a wish gently cradled upon white  
  
dove wings.  
  
"I wish," It was a whispered murmur, a prayer too sacred to be said any  
  
louder. A drop of blood from the innermost depths of a soul.  
  
Hilde turned around in a slow circle, searching desperately for something of  
  
great significance.  
  
Everyone needs a wishing star.  
  
Her arms fell down to her sides, head falling as well.  
  
Now looking straight forward, she paused, then slowly walked away,  
  
quickly reaching the stone wall on the other end of the field. She climbed  
  
it and walked away, disappearing into the night.  
  
"Well?" Solo stood up.  
  
"I told you. Hah. You owe me money," He held out his hand expectantly.  
  
Catherine stood up as well, shaking dirt off of her white skirts.  
  
She looked at him, a sly smile playing around her fair face, framed by  
  
curling locks of soft brown hair, "Actually, no I don't."  
  
"Huh?" He blinked.  
  
"First of all, that doesn't prove anything, and secondly," She grinned, "We  
  
never bet on her. We bet on Duo."  
  
A rustling darkness nearby sunk in on itself, a small figure hidden in the  
  
shadows. A shadow hidden from the figures.  
  
"Crap," Solo loudly swore, "You're right, Cathy."  
  
He climbed over the short wall, strolling over the grass covered mounds  
  
just beyond it.  
  
"I know I am," She said, lifting her long skirts and following him.  
  
Her white robe brushed against the tall emerald blades pushing up out of  
  
the dry ground.  
  
It was an odd scene.  
  
Two young people, male and female, standing in the middle of a very  
  
small patch of life in the near center of a stone city. Green swirling below  
  
them and black above them, stars all around.  
  
She sat down, her legs raised and slightly bent at the knee, arms straight  
  
with hands pressed against the ground on either side of her body.  
  
He turned around, looking at the smiling girl seated on the ground.  
  
Taking a few steps, he stood next to her. Interlocking his hands and  
  
placing them behind his head, he turned his face skywards, ignoring the  
  
fast pounding of his heart.  
  
"Solo?" Cathy asked, looking up at the young man standing next to her,  
  
the black material of his pants almost brushing up against her face as she  
  
twisted her neck to get a better view.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Hmm?" He glanced down at her, "Not much. Nice night, huh?" He said,  
  
not-so-subtly changing the subject.  
  
Either she didn't notice or she didn't care.  
  
"Yes," She looked up as well, "Beautiful. Look at all the stars."  
  
He gave a sigh of wonder, "Yeah."  
  
They stayed like that for a minute, perfectly still, before Solo broke the  
  
spell of quiet.  
  
He sat down, his dark hair falling in waves over his shoulders as he did  
  
so, a pair of eyes lost deep in thought turned downwards.  
  
"We should be going back soon."  
  
Catherine nodded, loose curls bouncing, "Yes. We should. But it's so nice  
  
out here, don't you think?"  
  
He nodded as well,still staring at the ground.  
  
"They'll be getting worried if they have found out."  
  
"Yeah," She murmured.  
  
"We'll get in trouble..." He trailed off, suddenly loosing his voice.  
  
Not so far away anymore, a pewter gray shadow laughed to itself.  
  
"Cathy?"  
  
She straightened up, pulling away from him, "What is it?"  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Nothing," Solo said, a patch of warmth still present on his arm and back.  
  
A small section newly heated with the warmth which radiates from  
  
another person's body.  
  
He felt the heat move from his side to his face, and he jerked back as  
  
well, quickly getting to his feet.  
  
"Uh... We should go," He managed to get out, pushing the words out  
  
through an uncooperative mouth and past a barrier of flushing rose skin.  
  
"Yes," She said yet again, starting to stand as well.  
  
"Here."  
  
He extended his open hand to her, reaching out in an offer to be of help.  
  
Cathy hesitated, her own hand resting in midair a mere inch away from  
  
his. Then she took hold of it, their skin touching, and a light breeze  
  
rushed along the ground, lifting the edge of her nightdress and toying  
  
with both of their hair.  
  
Solo gave a slight pull, lifting her to an upright position, and froze.  
  
Catherine gave a nervous giggle.  
  
When he had helped her up, he had been standing close enough to  
  
where she planted her feet that...  
  
The playful tug of the wind rushed by them again.  
  
...There was a bare inch in-between their still bodies.  
  
No one said anything.  
  
No one moved.  
  
No one dared to.  
  
And then, hesitantly, hopefully, Solo Maxwell leaned forward, placing a  
  
gentle chaste kiss on the moist lips of the girl standing before him, a  
  
startled expression washing over her face.  
  
"Solo..."  
  
He pulled back, face a brilliant shade of crimson.  
  
"What was...?"  
  
"Oh, God," He said, quickly backing up, palms raised in front of him in a  
  
gesture of surrender, "I'm so sorry. I-I don't... I don't know," He stopped  
  
walking, tearing pain-filled dark eyes away from startled gray ones.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm just going... I'm just going to go now. Good night."  
  
Turning around he quickly walked towards the low stone wall and jumped  
  
over it, slowly vanishing into the dark of the late night.  
  
Cathy took a step forward, one hand raised as if to grab onto the back of  
  
his loose shirt, now far out of reach.  
  
"Wait!..." She took another step forward, gaining courage as she saw him  
  
stop and stand stock stiff, back stiff, body unmoving.  
  
"Wait," She walked a few more feet towards him, eyes softening from  
  
surprise to a cloudy mixture of confusion and acceptance.  
  
He turned his head, slowly looking over his shadow draped body to look  
  
her in the face.  
  
Catherine spoke again, her voice not more than a whisper, not heard by  
  
anyone besides the young man before her.  
  
"There's nothing to forgive."  
  
:::  
  
Hilde popped her head up from behind the low stone wall on the opposite  
  
side of the grassy field. She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a  
  
girlish giggle.  
  
"Duo!" She half said, half whispered gleefully, "It worked!"  
  
"I know it did," He said, emerging from the shadows on top an  
  
abandoned merchants stall, "I'm right here. I can see them."  
  
Hilde stood up, watching the talking figures of their older friends and  
  
siblings more closely.  
  
"I can't make out what they're saying, though."  
  
"Yeah, me neither," Duo said, jumping off the roof and landing catlike  
  
and silently on the ground.  
  
"It did work though," He said, a tinge of pride in his voice, "I knew it  
  
would. All we had to do was lure them here."  
  
Hilde grinned at him, "They are so cute!"  
  
The brown haired boy nodded, his long flowing braid bouncing behind him  
  
as he did so.  
  
"They're going now," He remarked, looking over at the other two people,  
  
"We should be too."  
  
She nodded, "We should. I'll see you in the morning?"  
  
"Of course," Duo grinned, "I'll see you then."  
  
He brushed past her, making his way through the shadows back to his  
  
own home, hopefully to arrive there before his older brother discovered  
  
that he was missing.  
  
A final wave of his hand, and he was gone.  
  
Hilde looked over her shoulder.  
  
So were the other two.  
  
She gave a quick glance back to where Duo had been, then climbed over  
  
the stone wall, hopping off the top and landing in a small pool of life in  
  
the middle of the large stone city. Her navy skirts trailed on the ground,  
  
mixing with the light dust-like dirt and tall strands of vibrant grass.  
  
It was still night time, and the stars shone clearly above her head.  
  
She sat down in the center of the secluded patch and turned her face to  
  
gaze upon the glowing orbs of light.  
  
An invisible sigh flew towards the sky, a wish gently cradled upon white  
  
dove wings.  
  
"I wish," It was a whispered murmur, a prayer too sacred to be said any  
  
louder. A drop of blood from the innermost depths of a soul.  
  
Her eyes searched desperately among the thousand million white fiery  
  
crystals, looking for one to call her own.  
  
Everyone needs a wishing star.  
  
:::  
  
(a/n: Really sorry about the long wait. But... Uh... There's gonna be  
  
another one. See, I'm going on a trip and won't be able to write. I'll get  
  
something posted at the end of July, however. This story will just be on a  
  
short break, I'll come back to it, no worries. I hope this chapter made up  
  
for the break in-between updates. BTW, I have to give Elijah thanks for  
  
Cathy's line to Solo, "There's nothing to forgive."  
  
Oh, if this chapter's a bit messed, it's 'cause I was writing the second half  
  
and trying to fix the first at nine on Sat. ... My plane takes off around  
  
twelve that same day...) 


End file.
